[Guide] Dulahan's guidelines to lvl 80 arc rush (and beyond), starting from bronze age

[Snarko]

I currently have 5 rogues, (1 UA and 4 attached). Where can I find the strategy for a 7 rogue setup? I'm assuming it's with a melee as the 8th for the retaliation attack that's basically free?

Read Annex 2a of this guide.

My favorite setup is 1 Trebuchet 7 Rogue. You can win most battles this way taking zero damage. Great if you have only a few rogues given their long healing time. In many cases you can have more trebuchets and fewer rogues, especially if the enemy has siege units.
First shoot the enemy trebs/catapults. Then shoot whatever is close to you, letting rogues mop up without retaliation, thus leaving them as rogues for the next batch of enemies to reach you.

Sometimes the enemy will reach you too fast for trebuchets to work. If the enemy does NOT have siege units you can almost always win these encounters with 1 Heavy Infantry 7 Rogues. Go hide in a corner. Let the enemy come to you. If you do it properly (lower corner is usually best) their fastest units will convert a few rogues, then you kill those units. Your remaining rogues then take the next round of attacks and you kill the next round of units. You usually take some damage this way. If you have only a few rogues you can try to ensure most of the damage is on your original heavy infantry (without losing it of course).

There are a few encounters where trebuchets does not work and the enemy has siege units. In these cases 1 Champion (or Knight) 7 Rogues can often work. Beware! Some of these battles are close calls. It requires some practice to understand how to avoid losses. Even then sometimes an unlucky roll can cause a loss. I would advise to negotiate these battles until you can afford to lose the occasional rogue.

Be prepared to surrender from time to time. Maybe you made a mistake. Maybe you got unlucky with terrain and this time your usual strategy won't work. Maybe you're testing to see if a new unit combination can beat this encounter and it can't.

Above all study the AI. You should know which unit it will attack at any given time. This is crucial to avoid losing units.

I have +12% att/def and with these three strategies I can beat the first 44 encounters. I do have 20+ rogues however, so I can afford to both take damage and the risk of losing one from time to time. I do not use the tavern boost. You might want to while you're learning how to battle the more difficult encounters.

If anyone has better strategies I'd love to hear them.

 

[DeletedUser32824]

Thanks for the reply, Snarko. I've never thought about going all trebuchets. That sounds like a fun strategy. I do have a 3rd rogue hideout I could place to up my rogues to 6 attached and 1 unattached, but that's maybe more real estate than I want to commit to rogues. This makes me want an Alcatraz again

 

[Salsuero]

If anyone has better strategies I'd love to hear them.

I almost always fight with 1 Berserker + 7 Rogues and 1 Trebuchet + 7 Rogues in GE where the defenses are pre-known... substituting 1 Knight/Champ for Berserker in GvG/PvP where defenses are unknown. Which I choose depends on the defense. But I rarely lose units, or perhaps will lose a single Rogue. I currently have a 71/60 attack bonus and a little over 1,000 Rogues... but I've been using a similar setup for most of my time playing. I even use 1 Light + 7 Rogues to compete in the Bronze, Iron, and EMA towers during level 1 of GE as it's damn simple to fight and win with no losses, even using my inferior troops given the low numbers on defense and that they tend to mostly be of the previous age (EMA) as well.

 

[DeletedUser32872]

Thanks for the reply, Snarko. I've never thought about going all trebuchets. That sounds like a fun strategy. I do have a 3rd rogue hideout I could place to up my rogues to 6 attached and 1 unattached, but that's maybe more real estate than I want to commit to rogues. This makes me want an Alcatraz again

The one extra hideout is much cheaper and easier to place than an Alcatraz I'd definitely place it if you don't have 7 rouges already. Of course, once you get CF to level 4+, you will be rolling in so much goods you can negotiate all of L2/3/4 so it won't matter too much if you have 7 rouges or not. Overtime, you will also get more rouges from GE, especially if you have a ToR, so negotiating until then to save space can be a good strategy.

I almost always fight with 1 Berserker + 7 Rogues and 1 Trebuchet + 7 Rogues in GE where the defenses are pre-known... substituting 1 Knight/Champ for Berserker in GvG/PvP where defenses are unknown. Which I choose depends on the defense. But I rarely lose units, or perhaps will lose a single Rogue. I currently have a 71/60 attack bonus and a little over 1,000 Rogues... but I've been using a similar setup for most of my time playing. I even use 1 Light + 7 Rogues to compete in the Bronze, Iron, and EMA towers during level 1 of GE as it's damn simple to fight and win with no losses, even using my inferior troops given the low numbers on defense and that they tend to mostly be of the previous age (EMA) as well.

That strategy wouldn't really work without your really high attack bonus. By the time someone gets to that high of an attack bonus in HMA, it's totally fine to basically just auto-resolve or attack suboptimally because you'll win the vast majority of the time. And there's definitely a benefit to using EMA, IA, and BA units for GE1/2 for the towers, although the rewards are (comparatively to GB rewards) meager.

 

[Salsuero]

That strategy wouldn't really work without your really high attack bonus.

My attack bonus is really high? But it worked for me before I had it that high. I'm not sure what you think is required, but it's not that difficult to get the attack bonus I have in the lower ages of this game. I have a CdM, CoA, and Zeus... they don't have to be leveled very high to pump out a decent attack bonus. I mean... just having each of those at level 7 gives you 63%. Add in a few special buildings and it's pretty easy.

By the time someone gets to that high of an attack bonus in HMA, it's totally fine to basically just auto-resolve or attack suboptimally because you'll win the vast majority of the time.

Is that so? And you'll lose a ton of primary unattached units in the process, as well as lots and lots of Rogues. Auto-battling is awful advice unless you are talking about GvG -- and that's an entirely different conversation. Again... how hard is it to get that high of an attack bonus? It wasn't hard for me.

And there's definitely a benefit to using EMA, IA, and BA units for GE1/2 for the towers, although the rewards are (comparatively to GB rewards) meager.

Fair enough. But I only fight for 1st on as many towers as I can for pride. I don't need medals. I've already earned all of the victory expansions this game has to offer.

 

[DeletedUser31308]

I'm not sure what you think is required, but it's not that difficult to get the attack bonus I have in the lower ages of this game.

For players following the fastest path to skyrocket all their GB's Att GBs can remain below level 7 and not even built for many months. More than a year if the player is exceptionally greedy or incredibly disinterested in combat.

Edit: All this to say that it isn't hard to get that amount of attack bonus, but you do have to prioritize them early to get them early, which is why many people who hold in HMA won't see that high of an attack bonus for a while.

 

[DeletedUser29218]

Over the weeked I'll probably update with a new (and last) chapter and a new section in the FAQ section. Also, during the last 2 weeks I've made minor changes here and there based on the feedback received (and some stuff I had forgotten before)

For players following the fastest path to skyrocket all their GB's Att GBs can remain below level 7 and not even built for many months. More than a year if the player is exceptionally greedy or incredibly disinterested in combat.

 

[DeletedUser32824]

Over the weeked I'll probably update with a new (and last) chapter and a new section in the FAQ section. Also, during the last 2 weeks I've made minor changes here and there based on the feedback received (and some stuff I had forgotten before)

Will there be an easy way to see exactly what updates you have made to the guide without needing to pore over it again?

 

[DeletedUser]

For players following the fastest path to skyrocket all their GB's Att GBs can remain below level 7 and not even built for many months.

Interesting that you would choose to try to rebut a post with a completely self-contradictory statement like this.

 

[DeletedUser31308]

Interesting that you would choose to try to rebut a post with a completely self-contradictory statement like this.

The fastest path to skyrocket all GBs will have the attack GBs leveled last, since they don't inherently increase your FP production they can be seen as having an ROI of 0. Of course, they will be leveled eventually, but that would be after getting Arc to 80, then CC, IT, HS, CF, Tor, AO (if you have one), Kraken (if you have one), and CDM to pretty high levels. While AO and Kraken are "attack GBs", I meant those that give attack bonus. And yes, I do realize CDM is on this list but even a level 50 CDM alone won't give the attack boost that Salsuero has.

The amount of time to level all the above GBs to the stated levels is over a year, could be over 2 years depending on individual efficiency (for example, if you choose to invest early in Att GBs instead of FP production...). So I don't see the above as contradictory in any way.

 

[DeletedUser]

The amount of time to level all the above GBs to the stated levels is over a year, could be over 2 years

Geez, 2 years? Wouldn't you rather be doing something else with all that time, instead of just leveling a bunch of GBs? Maybe like actually playing the game? Hyper-leveling GBs is as boring a waste of leisure time as HQS is. Much more enjoyable to play a balanced game and socialize with your friends and guild mates than be a slave to a stupid "system" of playing that sucks all the life out of the game. Ah, well, it's your life if you want to waste it that way.

 

[DeletedUser32872]

My attack bonus is really high? But it worked for me before I had it that high. I'm not sure what you think is required, but it's not that difficult to get the attack bonus I have in the lower ages of this game. I have a CdM, CoA, and Zeus... they don't have to be leveled very high to pump out a decent attack bonus. I mean... just having each of those at level 7 gives you 63%. Add in a few special buildings and it's pretty easy.

It's pretty high compared to what I assumed the average player reading this guide in HMA is. Very few of my HMA guild members have an L7 zeus let alone L7 on all three. They're pretty unnecessary for GE, as you can easily complete it with goods alone after CF is built to 4ish, and for far fewer FP and space. Even with an L5 SoZ a player should be able to complete L1/L2 with just 7R + 1H strategy which. Obviously if you already have the GBs to good levels you should keep them, but I wouldn't advise new players to beeline for them to follow such a strategy.

Is that so? And you'll lose a ton of primary unattached units in the process, as well as lots and lots of Rogues. Auto-battling is awful advice unless you are talking about GvG -- and that's an entirely different conversation. Again... how hard is it to get that high of an attack bonus? It wasn't hard for me.

With a 70% bonus I've been able to auto battle in HMA for L1/L2 without losing rouges (although you often need to use 6R + 2H). Yes, auto battling is terrible advice, unless you have very high attack bonus and a lot of units to spare. At that point it's just a nice time saver. And, as I said earlier, it is sub-optimal in this guide, just like getting SoZ, CoA, and CdM to 7 arguably is. It can still be useful to do, but the utility of other actions would be higher.

Geez, 2 years? Wouldn't you rather be doing something else with all that time, instead of just leveling a bunch of GBs? Maybe like actually playing the game? Hyper-leveling GBs is as boring a waste of leisure time as HQS is. Much more enjoyable to play a balanced game and socialize with your friends and guild mates than be a slave to a stupid "system" of playing that sucks all the life out of the game. Ah, well, it's your life if you want to waste it that way.

This guide is about optimal strategies for a level 80 Arc (and whether L80 is optimal in the first place), not fun It's up to individual players to adapt the content to their idea of "fun," and it's nearly pointless to argue over what is fun when there is no way to quantify it beyond an individuals own experiences.

 

[Salsuero]

Ok, well this guide is bad advice in my opinion. I have almost a level 80 Arc and haven't sacrificed having fun or leveling other non FP-producing GBs in the process. I have over 15k in usable FPs, so clearly getting the FPs hasn't been an issue for me. Yeah, I know you all think having FPs in inventory is pointless. It's not to me. It gives me an overwhelming spending power when I need/want it. And I use it regularly without blinking, which is why I enjoy having my stockpile. The point I'm making is that you are all apparently advocating for sacrificing the actual enjoyment of "playing" the game and strategizing to do tge menial tasks of collecting as many FPs as possible and doing recurring quests until your fingers bleed. I'm sure I'll get a lot of hate responses to this, but I won't be responding to any of them. I'm out of this thread. I got dragged into it and I'm dragging myself out of it. Enjoy your game, folks!

 

[DeletedUser29218]

Ok, well this guide is bad advice in my opinion. I have almost a level 80 Arc and haven't sacrificed having fun or leveling other non FP-producing GBs in the process. I have over 15k in usable FPs, so clearly getting the FPs hasn't been an issue for me. Yeah, I know you all think having FPs in inventory is pointless. It's not to me. It gives me an overwhelming spending power when I need/want it. And I use it regularly without blinking, which is why I enjoy having my stockpile. The point I'm making is that you are all apparently advocating for sacrificing the actual enjoyment of "playing" the game and strategizing to do tge menial tasks of collecting as many FPs as possible and doing recurring quests until your fingers bleed. I'm sure I'll get a lot of hate responses to this, but I won't be responding to any of them. I'm out of this thread. I got dragged into it and I'm dragging myself out of it. Enjoy your game, folks!

Bye

 

[DeletedUser32824]

@Salsuero: You can definitely disagree with this guide, but as it is a guide for a lvl 80 Arc rush, and not just "Getting a lvl 80 Arc eventually" you have to look at it through that lens. Like most guides, it is up to the reader or follower of such a guide to take and use some or all of the advice therein. If you have your own method for reaching lvl 80 Arc that contradicts the things that this guide purports, that's fine, you can even mention some of those things in here. But I don't think this thread is an appropriate place to bash the guide, tell everyone in it that we aren't having fun and that we are playing the game wrong.

I've always appreciated your advice, and the advice of a lot of participants in this thread. Multiple viewpoints help me to better understand this game and yours is one of those viewpoints. I think a lot of people are passionate about this game and sometimes people take things too personally and most threads devolve into flame wars for some reason.

What I would like to see from people in the future is this: If you do things differently than this guide, explain why you did them and whether or not you thought it was beneficial to getting an Arc 80. That's ultimately why people would be reading this thread. Secondly, if you ARE following this guide, let us know what is working or not working for you. What has challenged you the most? How long is it taking you? What level do you think is best for your GBs? What GBs would you recommend or not recommend that differs from the guide.

Ultimately each post should contribute something or continue a respectful conversation about how this guide is or is not being implemented in your own city. If you fully disagree with this guide and you think your way is better, I challenge you to make your own guide. More information is always better. If you don't feel like putting in the effort to make a guide, I would challenge you to not make that post that doesn't contribute to the thread. Swallow your pride.

This guide has been a tremendous help for me, and I really appreciate the work Dulahan has put into this. Have I followed every piece of advice blindly and to a T? No I haven't. I still have some crossbow ranges AND a tower of babel. Because I want to. Is it the most efficient? Probably not, but I am using this as a guide, not a template.

I should probably delete my TOB though

 

[DeletedUser31308]

Geez, 2 years? Wouldn't you rather be doing something else with all that time, instead of just leveling a bunch of GBs? Maybe like actually playing the game? Hyper-leveling GBs is as boring a waste of leisure time as HQS is. Much more enjoyable to play a balanced game and socialize with your friends and guild mates than be a slave to a stupid "system" of playing that sucks all the life out of the game. Ah, well, it's your life if you want to waste it that way.

While you have your fun fighting and doing whatever else it is you do other than leveling GBs, I'll have fun building my city to the point where I can single handedly wipe guilds off the GvG map with absurdly high Att GBs and practically unlimited goods/troops. For me, the fun is in amassing absurd amounts of power. For you, the fun may be elsewhere. I think any mature adult should know better than to believe they can dictate the ways others have fun.

 

[DeletedUser31308]

Hey Dulahan, I noticed you put some goods GBs like ToB and FoD in the "never build" category. From my perspective, I see them as a down-the-road investment. The scenario I'm picturing is when you've already leveled your FP GBs and Att GBs through the golden levels, and are in CE. You can skyrocket these goods GBs at that point in order to have them produce mass amounts of PE goods that you can turn around and sell for FPs. I haven't done the math fpr it, but I think there definitely is a point where those FP for goods trades give you more ROI than anything else. As I'm saying this, I imagine the counter point is that the "Spend X FP" quests will give you tons of goods anyway that you could trade down to PE to sell, which may make this whole idea a moot point. Still, a 4x4 space producing 100-200 PE goods/day seems like it could be worth it.

 

[Snarko]

I just want to add something that people who aspire to get a level 80 Arc can do which has helped me. Only works on established worlds but this whole strategy only works on established worlds.

I put my Arc in the mud on jan 3rd. I don't remember the exact date but shortly after that I made a list of people who are leveling their Arcs and where I can get cheap BPs. I used the rankings to go through all Arcs between level 20 and 60 and checked which Arcs appear to be leveling and where I could score cheap BPs (based on previous amounts needed).

After building it I had zero BPs left. Today, about one and a half month later, I could unlock up to level 25 if I wanted to. I started out paying too many FP per BP so it should have been lower than that. Level 20 might have been more realistic. I can't level it that fast anyway.
Now, with a level 12 Arc, I can "snipe" efficiently enough that I'm not losing FP anymore. Sometime I lose a couple, sometimes I gain a couple. What I do gain is free blueprints and thousands of medals.

You can be smarter than I was. You can do this before you even build your Arc. You can do this before you even have the blueprints to build your Arc - to GET the blueprints to build it in the first place! Then continue getting more blueprints, paying virtually nothing for them.

The advantage of this is you become less reliant on a swap group or similar for BPs. This means you can ask high level Arc owners for help earlier. The earlier you get help from them the less FP you have to spend yourself leveling it. Of course this is only worthwhile if the BPs are cheap.

 

[DeletedUser29218]

My session expired while I was editing... I think it is the first time I don't copy everything before sending the text, as I saw it was in the cache. Well... seems replies are in the chache, but edits don't. I want to kill myself now

PD: What I was writting will hopefully answer the lasts questions.

 

[DeletedUser]

While you have your fun fighting and doing whatever else it is you do other than leveling GBs, I'll have fun building my city to the point where I can single handedly wipe guilds off the GvG map with absurdly high Att GBs and practically unlimited goods/troops. For me, the fun is in amassing absurd amounts of power. For you, the fun may be elsewhere. I think any mature adult should know better than to believe they can dictate the ways others have fun.

If you think you'll get to the point where you can wipe guilds (except small, uncommitted ones) off the GvG map single-handedly, you are in for a rude awakening. Do you seriously think you're the only one hyper-leveling GBs?