The phase-by-phase game plan
Early on, choose plains and a coast in the same pocket when possible, with highlands behind the plains. Avoid spawning inside expensive mountains, and prefer a peninsula with one land neck over an exposed plain with four neighbors.
Keep troops near the middle growth band: growth is fastest near 42% of troop capacity. Let the bar recover toward that range after a major annex; small claims on empty plains can happen sooner.
Target Bots first because they are weak, do not build, and yield land and gold when surrounded. Treat Nations that build structures and human players as later or more dangerous problems.
Watch how diplomacy becomes as important as military strength when the middle phase begins.Playing this video connects to YouTube.
Throughout the match, take cheap plains, preserve troop growth, and buy the structure that removes the current bottleneck. Stop attacking when the new border would cost more than it pays; ports, warships, trains, pacts, and nukes are tools within that loop.
The normal objective is about 80% of non-fallout land, with water excluded. Fallout reduces the usable pool, and after minute 30, free-for-all Overtime can lower the threshold in steps, so follow the live interface when the board stalls.
Signals that should change your decision
- When should I pause expansion?
- Pause after a large annex while troops recover toward the middle growth band. If another player is wrapping the same Bot, turn toward empty plains or another Bot instead of creating an early second front.
- When should I make an alliance?
- Send or accept a pact when a neighbor can reach your core and you cannot staff that border. Use the pact to annex Bots elsewhere, finish a City, or prepare a Defense Post for the border you will need when the timer ends.
- Which structure should I build first?
- Build for the active bottleneck: choose a City when troop capacity matters or a Defense Post when one border is draining the opening. Choose a Port for a safe, valuable water route, or a Factory when trains are enabled and a protected City network is more reliable.
- Where should a Defense Post go?
- Place it where its 30-tile range covers a route an opponent must use, favoring a short frontier, important structure, or junction over an inactive central location.
- How should I react to the live Overtime line?
- If you are over the live line, hold your share, protect the neck that is bleeding, and keep a reserve near 42% of capacity. If you are below it, take the cheapest legal land before the next 30-second drop rather than buying a Port that cannot pay in time.