As many of you know, I am a huge fan of Fortresses. Why? No need to port around and the target can’t shield. Instant points!!! I have noticed, however, that many players struggle when it comes to fighting for Fortresses. There is certainly an art to this component of the game and this step-by-step guide will help you conquer the Fortresses in your kingdom and make you a stronger contender during Fortress events. I want to give a huge shout out to my buddy JustGin for allowing me to pick his brain for this article! His only complaint was that he was afraid it would make it harder for him to win Fortress battles against our readers in the future. LOL
The “only because my editor made me do it” Disclaimer: The stats and strategies presented in this article are current as of the date of publication. As anyone who plays Dragon Dimension knows, MZ is always releasing new components to the game and sometimes even changes stat functionality without notice. With every release that occurs, the information contained in this article will become more stale (unless updated, of course!). Use this information at your own risk!
Why are Fortresses Important Now?
In the past, Fortresses were only relevant during Fortress events but could be ignored as there was generally a kill component that ran simultaneously. Fortresses became slightly more important last month when MZ updated the Fortresses in all kingdoms. Now the fortresses are always active and provide an in-kingdom boost available from the four fortresses ringing the Wonder in each kingdom. Let’s take a closer look at the changes.
Here is the blog that was released about the Fortress updates:
As you can see, each Fortress now provides an individual boost that correlates to each type of troop in our barracks. These type-specific boosts, however, are only available to the player holding the Fortress. In addition to these type boosts, each Fortress also provides Alliance-wide Wonder boosts that will help your Alliance when battling for the Wonder in your kingdom. Finally, the Fortress of Cannons provides an Alliance-wide boost related to Fortress stats. Here are the boosts provided by each Fortress:
Fortress of Swords
Fortress of Arrows
Fortress of Lances
Fortress of Cannons
Another interesting update to the Fortresses was that only one Fortress, the Fortress of Cannons, can be attacked and held by a solo attack. The remaining Fortresses can only be taken by way of a rally.
These updates will certainly make in-kingdom Wonder battles more interesting as they will require strong coordination within an Alliance to ensure success. While the stats available from the Fortresses are not stellar, we have consistently found that even incremental increases in stats can make a difference when fighting for the Wonder!
Best Practices for Fortress Battles
First, let’s start with what Fortresses are NOT. Fortresses are NOT mini-Wonders. Many players treat fortress battles the same way that they treat Wonder battles and, put simply, this is a losing approach. Fortresses are NOT mini-strongholds. While the battle tactics for Fortresses may be similar to what you would use for rallying a Wonder or a stronghold, the correct approach is much different from a stat point of view. Thus, the first “best practice” when it comes to Fortresses is to quit treating them like something they are not!
Stat Priority for Fortresses
Let’s take a granular view of Fortresses for a bit. Since a Fortress is neither a Wonder nor a stronghold, it should be clear that neither Wonder nor Empire Assault stats would apply to Fortress battles. If that is correct, it begs the question, “What stats apply to Fortress battles?” Obviously the stats from the Fortress of Cannons and other places within our account – Fortress Attacking Troop Attack, Defense, and Health – would apply to Fortress battles. Beyond those stats, it really comes down to Type stats, Troop stats, and Debuffs.
When it comes to stat priority for Fortress battles, we have consistently seen that what works best offensively and defensively is to first focus on Debuffs and then to fill out where you cannot use a Debuff with an appropriate Type stat. Obviously, the Type stat you focus on would depend on what troops you are using to attack or defend. Our second “best practice,” then, is to focus on your Debuffs when adjusting your stats! What we have seen that works best, so far as choosing between Attack, Defense, and Health Debuffs, is that the order of priority should be (1) Attack Debuff, (2) Health Debuff, and (3) Defense Debuff.
Now let’s take a really granular look at things and go through your Hero, Gear, Gem, Monsters, Boosts, Banners, and other items you can swap out when attacking or defending Fortresses.
Hero Selection
What we have seen consistently work when it comes to both attacking and defending Fortresses is Hero IV. Why does Hero IV work better than the other heroes available? The Hero IV skill tree is full of both Type and Debuff stats. While Hero I has decent Type stats, it really does not compare to what is available with Hero IV and is missing the Debuffs you want. Hero II also has Type attack stats and some Debuffs but its overall emphasis has remained on Empire Assault stats. Hero III is, of course, void of Type stats but does have limited Debuffs within the Hero skills. However, Hero III has continued to emphasize Empire Defender stats and has transitioned into a good Wonder hero if set up correctly. If you are using Hero IV to attack, you will want to use the type stats that are strong against the troops defending the Fortress. If you are using Hero IV defensively, you want to treat it like you are trapping and use the skills for the troops that are strong against your attacker’s march (i.e., emphasize Infantry stats if they are sending Cavalry troops against you).
Gear Selection
Gear selection is where things can become really interesting. As we mentioned before, Debuffs rule the day when it comes to Fortresses. With that in mind, you have three potential Gear Sets that are great for both attacking and defending (in order of release) – (1) Valiant Knight Set Gear; (2) Nemesis Lord Set Gear; and (3) Cerulean Knight Set Gear. Here is a comparison chart of the stats for all three gear sets:
The absolute best gear set to use for attacking and defending fortresses was Valiant Knight prior to the release of the Nemesis Lord Set. Now, however, the best practice would be to use the Nemesis Lord Set Gear for both attacking and defending fortresses. If you want to add a little “oomph” to your Nemesis Lord gear, swap out the accessories for the Lava Titan’s Girdle to switch from 24,000% Enemy Troop Health Debuff (Nemesis Lord’s Vengeance) to the Girdle’s 40,000% Enemy Troop Attack Debuff. Alternatively, you could add in the Cerulean Knight’s Aegis to obtain 52,000% Enemy Troop Defense Debuff if you think additional defense debuff stats will help you out.
Gem Selection
When it comes to the gems you want to use in your gear, the absolute best set to pick would be the Prime Aggression Gem Set. This set consists of the Siege Aggression Gem, Infantry Aggression Gem, Ranged Aggression Gem, and the Cavalry Aggression Gem, and when you put them together as a full set in one piece of gear you unlock 170,500% type debuffs for each troop type! As the newest gem set released, not very many players have full sets of this gem set. The second best selection would be the Battlemark Rally Assault Gem Set for the type attack and type health debuffs available.
Rune Selection
When it comes to Runes, you get what you get! As everyone knows by now, Level 6 Runes are hard to come by. If you have them, great. I hope you have the appropriate Rune Saver needed to swap out your runes! Alternatively, if you can craft multiple weapons from the same set, you may want to do that so that you have a weapon made just for Fortresses!
Your best Rune selections for Fortresses are the Elite Blazing Fire Rune (116,000% Enemy Troop Attack Debuff), the Elite Tectonic Earth Rune (143,000% Enemy Troop Defense Debuff / 77,000% Enemy Troop Health Debuff), and the Entropic Void Rune (131,000% Type Attack). None of the Water Runes work well in the Fortress setting unless you are running Cavalry troops. If that is you, add the Rapid Water Rune to obtain additional Cavalry Defense (163,000%) and Health (88,000%) stats.
Banner Selection
Your banners allow limited customization when it comes to both Debuff and Type stats. Fortunately, there are a few banners that will work well. The current strongest Type banners are found in the Enchanted set that was released in May of 2021. This set includes the Enchanted Blade Banner (74,000% Infantry Attack), the Enchanted Barrage Banner (74,000% Ranged Attack), the Enchanted Guard Banner (74,000% Cavalry Attack), and the Special: Enchanted Relic Banner (26,000% Enemy Troop Health Debuff). Another trio of banners that are worth considering is the Ghostly Sept Banner (20,000% Enemy Troop Health Debuff), the Haunted Banner (22,500 Enemy Troop Attack Debuff), and the Nightmare Helm Banner (26,000 Enemy Troop Defense Debuff). My suggestion is to play around with these banners to find the best combination that works for you but to continue to emphasize the Debuff banners as much as you can!
Monster Selection
When it comes to the monsters you use in your march, if your emphasis is on Debuffs then you have three monsters to choose from – (1) Turkey Drake (125,800% Enemy Troop Attack Debuff); (2) Troll (125,800% Enemy Troop Attack Debuff); and (3) Scorpio (234,900% Enemy Troop Defense Debuff / 128,000% Enemy Troop Health Debuff). Remember, you can only use two monsters in your rally, and that once your troops have taken over a Fortress you cannot change your monsters by pulling your march and trying to send new monsters! This being so, my suggestion as a best practice would be to use either the Turkey Drake or Troll as one choice and Scorpio as your second monster.
Pantheon
For us, we generally do not activate the Pantheon when attacking or defending Fortresses. No real reason other than we prefer to save our Tributes for rallies against strongholds during Kill Events. If you want an edge, though, the Pantheon is where you will find it! Here you have choices that include all three relevant stats that are in play when attacking or defending Fortresses – Type stats, Debuffs, and Fortress stats! Let’s take a closer look at the available deity selections.
If you are looking for Fortress stats, your choices include Athena’s Scorn (Fortress Attacking) or Poseidon’s Flood (Fortress Defending). Again, the fortress stats are not great but any little bit could help.
If you are looking for Type stats, you can choose between Helios’s Triad Burst (Infantry), Hyperion’s Might (Ranged), or Deimos’s Fever (Cavalry). There are corresponding Type Debuffs that are also present in the Pantheon. These include Demeter’s Wilt (Infantry Debuff), Hestia’s Malice (Ranged Debuff), and Gaia’s Triad Burst (Cavalry Debuff).
The star of the show, of course, is the troop debuffs. Here, you have a choice between Pan’s Triad Burst (Enemy Troop Attack Debuff), Erebus’ Darkness (Enemy Troop Defense Debuff), and Hera’s Vengeance (Enemy Troop Health Debuff).
The good news is that you are not necessarily limited to one or two choices. If your Pantheon is sufficiently high then you could activate as many as six deities at once. If you are willing to burn that many tributes then you would want to activate whichever Fortress stat is relevant, attack or defense, all 3 of the Troop Debuffs available, whichever type stat corresponds to the troops you are attacking or defending with, and then whichever debuff counters your opponent’s troops. Following this process will posture your Pantheon to be as strong as possible while battling for your Fortress.4
Synergy
As BadSanta likes to say, “This is Game of Synergy!” While he is correct, it has been our observation that Fortresses can be taken and held without the need for Synergy as many players are unwilling to use that boost for Fortresses. If your opponent does boost, and the Fortress is of importance to you, the only choice you will have is to pop a Synergy boost. Not to state the obvious (but sometimes one must), use Attack Synergy when attacking and Health Synergy when defending.
My Final Thoughts on Fortresses
This article has focused on Fortresses as they currently exist. What we remain unsure of is how Siege troops and Pinky the Dragon could change these best practices. Anyone who paid attention to the most recent Kingdom of Dragons probably observed that Wonder battles have now developed to a pure siege situation. If you weren’t using Siege Troops and Pinky the Dragon then you were unlikely to garner any hold time in the Wonder. It is quite possible that Fortresses will (or may have already) moved to this same configuration. Time will tell if that is the case!
Where to go for Additional Information
I hope you enjoyed this article! Team Real Tips has guides for pretty much all aspects of Game of War. Remember, our beloved game is constantly changing. Thus, the burden remains on YOU to educate yourself on those changes. Read the blogs released by MZ! Ask questions of RealTips writers in our Line rooms and on Discord! Remember, there really is no stupid question and we are happy to help you understand the stats that you are working with!
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I am active in many of the Game of War Line rooms (Line Display Name: FinsUp / Line ID finsupgow) and I am always willing to answer player questions in the rooms or via Direct Message. If I do not know the answer to a question, I am always happy to find the answer or to test your theories to determine the best practices one can take in building their account. Join us on our Line channel to access additional content and to interact directly with our writers!
