Combat & Battles

How Combat Works

Battles in Total Battle are resolved automatically based on troop counts, tiers, hero bonuses, and tech research. Combat alternates between attacker and defender; remaining stacks that survive get additional “free” attacks.

Squads are sorted by total health — the squad with the highest total health is attacked first. This is the foundation of the stacking strategy below.

March Limits

Three separate limits control how many troops you can send:

Limit	Controls
Leadership	Trained troops (Guardsmen, Specialists, Engineer Corps)
Authority	Mercenaries
Dominance	Monsters

Limits are affected by Hero/Captain level, equipment bonuses, titles, dragon presence, and research.

Troop Stacking

Troop stacking organises your army so your strongest troops attack as many times as possible while your weakest/cheapest troops die first. This dramatically reduces revival costs in Epic Monster events and raids.

The 2:1 Rule

Use double the amount of each lower tier. Example with G7 as your strongest Guardsmen:

Tier	Units
G7 (strongest)	1,000
G6	2,000
G5	4,000
G4	8,000

Apply the same pyramid within each troop category (G# for Guardsmen, S# for Specialists, E# for Engineer Corps, M# for Monsters).

This pyramid ensures lower tiers have the highest total health pool, get targeted first, and die first — leaving your top-tier troops alive for more attacks.

Concrete Stacking Examples

Early–mid game player (G5 highest, Leadership 40,000):

Tier	Melee	Mounted	Ranged	Flying
G5 (top)	25	250	500	500
G4	50	500	1,000	—
G3	100	1,000	2,000	—

Mid game player (G7 highest, Leadership 80,000, Dominance 2,000, Authority 500):

Tier	Melee	Mounted	Ranged	Flying
G7 (top)	50	500	1,000	1,000
G6	100	1,000	2,000	2,000
G5	200	2,000	4,000	4,000

Advanced player (G9/G8/S8 mixed, Leadership 150,000):

Tier	Melee	Mounted	Ranged	Flying
G9 (top)	100	1,000	2,000	2,000
G8	200	2,000	4,000	4,000
S8 (sacrifice)	210	2,010	4,010	4,010
G7	400	4,000	8,000	8,000

Advanced tip: E9 Catapults can be used as a sacrifice stack for more consistent attack patterns. S8 added as a sacrifice layer above causes Specialists to die before Guardsmen — protecting your best troops.

Monster & Mercenary Placement

Monsters (M3–M9): Four types — Beast, Elemental, Giant, Dragon. Apply the same 2:1 ratio; they attack after leadership troops.
Mercenaries: Attack last. Keep their total health pool below your leadership stacks so they get targeted last and survive longest. Include Epic Monster Hunters for bonus damage against epic monsters.

When to Stack

Use Stacking	Skip Stacking
Epic Monster events
Epic raids (e.g. Jörmungandr — 5-player)
Trial of the Chimera / Basilisk / Briareus	Citadel attacks
Any event where all troops die	—

Common Stacking Mistakes

Not using Guardsmen as your top-tier troops for monster events (they have the monster bonus)
Wrong troop types for the specific event
Ignoring silver costs across multiple attacks
Protecting weak troops instead of strong ones
Neglecting Temple level effects on revival costs

Stack Calculators

Use a calculator to get precise numbers:

Quick Checklist

Verify Leadership, Authority, and Dominance limits
Select appropriate captain for the event
Apply 2:1 ratio to Guardsmen and Monsters
Add sacrifice layers (Specialists / Engineer Corps)
Position Mercenaries to survive longest
Use a calculator for precise numbers
Budget silver across all planned attacks