Lands of Jail Troop Guide: Squires, Bombardiers, and Shooters

Troops are one of the most important parts of combat in Lands of Jail.

Simply knowing how to train units is not enough. You also need to understand the roles of Squires, Bombardiers, and Shooters, how they perform in different situations, and why the best formation changes according to your objective.

A formation that performs well on defense may be ineffective when dealing damage to a boss.

An excellent Trial Cage composition may not be the best option for PvP.

A balanced formation may work well in general situations but lose considerable performance when compared with a specialized event formation.

In this guide, you will understand the roles of all three troop types and learn how to build formations more strategically.

🧭 What Are the Three Troop Types?

Lands of Jail has three primary troop types.

These troop types also appear throughout advanced research, with separate improvements for ATK, DEF, HP, Lethality, troop capacity, and higher troop-tier unlocks.

The first concept you need to understand is simple:

🛡️ Squires: Your Front Line

Squires primarily perform a defensive role.

They are important when your march needs to remain alive longer and absorb damage before your offensive troops are eliminated.

Squires become particularly relevant during:

• defensive battles;
• prolonged combat;
• garrison duties;
• formations that need additional resistance;
• PvP situations where you expect to receive significant damage.

In simple terms:

More Squires generally means greater survivability.

However, adding too many Squires can reduce your offensive potential.

This becomes especially noticeable in single-target damage events, where players frequently reduce—or completely remove—Squires from their formations.

Community strategies for Gorilla and Trial Cage often follow this logic.

🏰 When Should You Use More Squires?

Consider increasing the percentage of Squires when your march needs to defend or survive.

You need to defend

If the primary objective is surviving an enemy attack, a larger frontline may make sense.

The battle will last longer

A highly offensive formation may deal substantial initial damage but collapse quickly once it begins receiving pressure.

You are protecting a position

During garrison and defensive situations, survival is much more valuable than it is during a pure damage race.

A commonly used defensive starting point is:

40% Squires / 30% Bombardiers / 30% Shooters

This should be treated as a reference for testing—not as an absolute rule.

⚠️ When Should You Avoid Using Too Many Squires?

Squires can be inefficient when survival is not the main problem.

Imagine an event where:

• there is only one target;
• your army remains alive;
• the objective is simply dealing as much damage as possible within a limited period.

In that situation, filling a large part of your march with defensive units may reduce your total damage.

That is why events such as Gorilla and certain Trial Cage formations frequently use 0% Squires.

The question should always be:

💣 Bombardiers: Offensive Balance and Damage

Bombardiers perform an important offensive role.

In many formations, they appear between the defensive frontline provided by Squires and the concentrated offensive power of Shooters.

This makes them common in mixed compositions.

Community strategies frequently describe Bombardiers as useful when facing multiple units, while Shooters generally become more important when dealing concentrated damage to a single target.

Do not think of Bombardiers as simply being a better or worse version of Shooters.

They perform a different role.

🎯 When Should You Use Bombardiers?

Bombardiers can be particularly useful when:

• your composition needs to remain balanced;
• you are facing multiple units;
• your Bombardier bonuses are strong;
• your heroes favor this troop type;
• you are using an event-specific formation.

For example, the current Guide LOJ Trial Cage recommendation for a rally leader is:

0% Squires / 30% Bombardiers / 70% Shooters

For marches joining other rallies, the example uses:

• 15,000 Bombardiers;
• 60,000 Shooters;
• 75,000 total troops.

That corresponds to:

0% Squires / 20% Bombardiers / 80% Shooters

Notice how the formation can change within the same event depending on the role of the march.

🔫 Shooters: Focused Damage

Shooters appear extremely frequently in damage-oriented formations, especially during single-target activities.

Current Gorilla, Trial Cage, and offensive strategies often use a high percentage of Shooters because the primary objective is maximizing damage.

During damage events, you may encounter formations using:

• 70% Shooters;
• 80% Shooters;
• 85% Shooters;
• or even 100% Shooters.

The correct amount depends on the activity and the individual account.

However, this does not mean you should use 100% Shooters everywhere.

🚫 Why Is 100% Shooters Not Always the Best Formation?

A march needs to perform the job required by the situation.

A formation containing 100% Shooters dedicates all available capacity to damage.

However, it also completely removes the Squire frontline and any Bombardier contribution.

This can perform extremely well against certain bosses.

During prolonged combat against other players, the same formation may become much more vulnerable.

One of the most common mistakes is finding a formation that performs exceptionally well in one event and then using it everywhere.

Do not do that.

🧩 A Formation Is More Than Percentages

Your formation consists of more than troop ratios.

It also includes:

• heroes;
• equipment;
• research;
• bonuses;
• troop tiers;
• the function of the march.

Two players using exactly:

20% Squires / 30% Bombardiers / 50% Shooters

may produce completely different results.

One of them may have:

• stronger Shooter bonuses;
• more developed equipment;
• heroes with better synergy;
• superior research;
• higher-tier troops.

Troop ratios are starting points—not magical formulas.

🦸 Heroes Also Follow Troop Classes

An important element of hero formations is the use of different classes.

Current community strategies for Lands of Jail seasons frequently use:

1 Squire hero + 1 Bombardier hero + 1 Shooter hero

When building a team, do not ask only:

Also consider:

• What are their roles?
• Which troops do they strengthen?
• Do their abilities work together?
• Am I building an offensive team?
• Is this a defensive formation?
• Is this team designed for a specific event?

Three individually powerful heroes do not necessarily create the best team.

⚙️ Troops and Equipment Must Work Together

Equipment may also provide bonuses associated with specific troop types.

Some equipment improves attributes related to Squires, Bombardiers, or Shooters.

That makes it even more important to identify what your account is trying to accomplish.

If your strategy depends heavily on Shooters, investing entirely in bonuses that contribute little to them may reduce your efficiency.

Think of your account as one connected system:

All four parts should support the same objective.

🧠 Do Not Copy a Formation Without Understanding It

You see a strong player using:

0 / 20 / 80

Then you copy it.

It may work, but first ask:

• Which event is that player completing?
• Are they leading or joining a rally?
• Which heroes are they using?
• Which bonuses do they have?
• What is their troop tier?
• What is that formation supposed to accomplish?

Copying numbers without understanding their context can be dangerous.

In Trial Cage, for example, leading a rally and joining a rally use different Guide LOJ configurations.

A player who sees only one configuration and applies it to every march may lose performance.

🧪 Trial Cage Formation

Trial Cage is a good example of optimizing troops for damage.

Leading your own rally

• Squires: 0%
• Bombardiers: 30%
• Shooters: 70%

Joining other rallies

For an example march containing 75,000 troops:

• Squires: 0
• Bombardiers: 15,000
• Shooters: 60,000

This corresponds approximately to:

0% Squires / 20% Bombardiers / 80% Shooters

Why are there no Squires?

The primary objective of this configuration is increasing damage against the target.

The additional survivability provided by Squires is not the priority of the march.

Trial Cage — Complete Guide

🦍 Gorilla Formations

Gorilla events are also heavily focused on damage.

A commonly used community reference is:

0% Squires / 15% Bombardiers / 85% Shooters

In certain variations, some players also test:

0% Squires / 0% Bombardiers / 100% Shooters

The reasoning is straightforward:

• the activity uses a single target;
• the main objective is damage;
• Squires may occupy capacity with survivability that is not required;
• Bombardiers may provide a lower return than Shooters in this particular situation.

🧪 How to Test a Formation Correctly

If you want to discover which ratio performs best, do not change everything simultaneously.

Use controlled tests.

1. Test 1

   Use 0 / 30 / 70 and record the damage.

2. Test 2

   Use 0 / 20 / 80 and compare the result.

3. Test 3

   Use 0 / 15 / 85 and compare again.

4. Test 4

   When appropriate, test 0 / 0 / 100.

5. Review the Results

   Identify which formation produced the best result for your account.

Try to keep all other conditions as similar as possible:

• use the same heroes;
• use the same equipment;
• send the same number of troops;
• maintain the same buffs;
• attack the same type of target.

Otherwise, you may conclude that the troop formation improved when another variable was actually responsible.

⚔️ PvP Formations

PvP is different from attacking a boss.

The enemy can also damage your troops, which increases the importance of survivability.

A community starting point for a balanced war rally is:

20% Squires / 30% Bombardiers / 50% Shooters

This composition attempts to combine:

• a defensive frontline;
• mixed damage;
• strong offensive output.

For faster and more aggressive situations, a more offensive variation is:

10% Squires / 20% Bombardiers / 70% Shooters

Do not treat either formation as mandatory.

Your opponent, heroes, troop tiers, and bonuses all matter.

🏯 Defensive Formations

When defending, the logic changes.

Remaining alive may be more important than eliminating the enemy a few seconds faster.

A commonly used defensive starting point is:

40% Squires / 30% Bombardiers / 30% Shooters

Another reference used for certain defensive activities is:

50% Squires / 20% Bombardiers / 30% Shooters

Notice the pattern:

This demonstrates why a universal formation does not exist.

🔄 Attack and Defense Are Different Problems

Imagine two formations.

Formation A

0% Squires / 20% Bombardiers / 80% Shooters

Excellent offensive potential.

Formation B

50% Squires / 20% Bombardiers / 30% Shooters

Considerably greater resistance.

Asking “Which formation is better?” makes no sense without knowing the objective.

The correct question is:

This is probably the most important idea in the entire guide.

⬆️ Troop Tier Also Matters

Troop ratios do not solve everything.

Imagine two players.

Player A

Uses an excellent composition but has lower-tier troops.

Player B

Uses a slightly less optimized ratio but has significantly stronger troops.

Player B may still produce better results.

Advanced research contains separate unlocks for higher Squire, Bombardier, and Shooter tiers.

Continue developing your barracks, research, and troops.

Do not become obsessed only with percentages.

🏋️ Train All Three Troop Types

Even if a specific event heavily favors Shooters, that does not mean you should completely abandon Squires and Bombardiers.

You will need different compositions for:

• defense;
• PvP;
• events;
• rallies;
• specialized activities.

An account with an enormous quantity of only one troop type may have limited options.

The metagame, activities, and event requirements can also change.

Flexibility has value.

⚖️ Do Not Allow One Troop Type to Fall Too Far Behind

Imagine that your Shooters are extremely developed, but your Squires have been almost completely ignored.

When you encounter content where defense is important, your formation may struggle.

The same principle applies to every troop type.

You can maintain an offensive priority without completely abandoning the rest.

It is possible to invest more heavily in one troop type while keeping the others useful.

🔬 Troop Research Makes a Difference

Research provides improvements specifically associated with troops.

Available attributes may include:

• ATK;
• DEF;
• HP;
• Lethality;
• troop capacity;
• troop-tier unlocks;
• other troop-related improvements.

Two accounts with the same number of troops can perform very differently.

Do not evaluate strength only by quantity.

Quality also matters.

🎯 Prioritize Research According to Your Role

If you frequently participate in offensive activities, offensive attributes naturally become more important.

If your alliance role frequently involves defending, defensive bonuses may provide more value to your account.

This does not mean investing exclusively in one attribute.

It means understanding your role.

Ask:

• What does my account do most frequently?
• Where do I want to improve?
• Which troop type represents most of my important formations?
• What does my alliance usually need from me?

These answers can help establish better research priorities.

🪙 Troops Also Cost Resources

Training thousands—or millions—of troops is not free.

You need to consider:

• resources;
• training time;
• speedups;
• troop capacity;
• potential healing costs after combat.

Troop training must be included in your economic planning.

Do not spend every available resource on buildings and then discover that you cannot maintain your army.

🎁 Use Troop-Training Events

Like research and construction, troop training may appear in events that award points.

When there is no urgent need, saving training capacity and speedups for a good opportunity can improve efficiency.

The principle is:

Training troops is good.

Training troops and earning points is better.

Training troops, earning points, and receiving milestone rewards is even better.

📈 Do Not Train Troops Only to Increase Power

Troops can increase account power significantly.

This may encourage a player to think:

But troops also have costs.

Depending on the activity, they may need to be deployed, recovered, and healed.

Your goal should be building an army that your account can maintain and use effectively.

Power is important.

Efficiency is more important.

🏥 Consider Hospital and Healing Capacity

In PvP content, having many troops without enough capacity to handle wounded units can create serious problems.

Before participating in larger conflicts, ask:

• What is my medical capacity?
• How many wounded units can I heal?
• Do I have enough resources for recovery?
• Do I have healing speedups?
• Is continuing to attack still worthwhile?

A battle does not end when the combat report appears.

You must also consider the cost of restoring your account.

💸 Not Every Victory Is Worth the Cost

You won a battle.

Excellent—but now analyze the result.

• How many troops were lost or wounded?
• How much healing will be required?
• How much resources will recovery consume?
• What reward did you receive?
• Did the victory help accomplish an important objective?

During PvP, a tactical victory can still be economically poor.

This is especially important for F2P players.

Do not exchange a large amount of valuable resources for a victory that provides no meaningful benefit.

📑 Learn How to Read Combat Reports

Combat reports are among the best tools available for improving formations.

After a battle, do not look only at:

Victory / Defeat

Study the performance.

Ask:

Did my frontline disappear too quickly?

You may need additional resistance or a higher Squire ratio.

Did I survive easily but deal very little damage?

Your formation may be too defensive.

Did my Shooters perform particularly well?

Increasing their percentage may be worth testing.

Did changing a hero improve the result?

Continue testing that combination.

Reports transform assumptions into useful information.

💾 Save Formations for Different Activities

If the game allows you to organize or save marches, avoid rebuilding everything from the beginning each time.

Create presets—or at least personal references—for:

• PvP;
• defense;
• Trial Cage;
• Gorilla;
• other specialized activities.

This reduces mistakes.

It also prevents the classic problem of entering a damage event while accidentally using your defensive formation.

🔁 Review Formations After Upgrading Your Account

You obtained:

• a new hero;
• better equipment;
• additional research;
• a higher troop tier;
• a new bonus.

Your previous formation may no longer be the best one.

Test again periodically.

A ratio that worked perfectly two months ago may stop being ideal as your account develops.

🧬 The Best Formation Is Specific to Your Account

Guides are excellent for providing starting points.

These ratios are current community references—not universal rules.

The next step is always:

Your account may have much stronger Shooters than Bombardiers.

Another player may possess excellent Bombardier bonuses.

Someone else may specialize in defense.

The best formation is the one that produces the best result for your account in that specific activity.

Quick Troop Summary

10 Common Troop Mistakes

1. 🔁 Using the same formation everywhere

Every activity has different objectives.

2. 🧩 Copying percentages without understanding them

Discover which situation the formation was designed for.

3. 🛡️ Ignoring Squires completely

They may be unnecessary against some bosses but extremely important on defense.

4. 📉 Using too many Squires during a damage race

Unnecessary survivability can reduce your total damage.

5. 💣 Ignoring Bombardiers

They are part of several efficient compositions.

6. 🔫 Believing 100% Shooters always works

An offensive boss formation is not automatically effective in PvP.

7. 🦸 Ignoring heroes

Troops and heroes need to work together.

8. 🔬 Ignoring research and equipment

A troop percentage cannot compensate for an undeveloped account.

9. 🧪 Never testing

Use reports and recorded results to compare formations.

10. 📊 Thinking only about power

The objective is performance—not simply displaying a larger number.

Formation Preparation Checklist

• Identify whether the activity is PvP or PvE.
• Determine whether you need survival or maximum damage.
• Check whether the activity uses one target or multiple enemies.
• Confirm whether you are leading or joining a rally.
• Select heroes that support your troop composition.
• Review your strongest troop bonuses.
• Check troop tiers and march capacity.
• Save the previous result before changing the ratio.
• Change only one major variable during each test.
• Review the combat report afterward.

Frequently Asked Questions

The Golden Rule of Troop Formations

If you remember only one lesson from this guide, remember this:

Before sending your march, ask:

• Am I attacking or defending?
• Is this PvP or PvE?
• Do I need to survive or maximize damage?
• Am I fighting a single target?
• Am I leading or joining the rally?
• Which troop bonuses are strongest on my account?

Then build your composition.

That is what transforms:

into: