PvP: attacking, defending and picking targets

A battle isn't judged by who is left standing, but by how much more value you hold at the end. If you lose troops worth more than what you bring home, you lost — even if the game says you won.

Before launching an attack, estimate three things: what you expect to gain, what you risk losing, and what retaliation will cost you.

• Exposed resources: a rich, careless target is worth more than a weak, empty one.
• Recent activity: active players retaliate, long-absent ones usually don't.
• Balance of forces: aim for a clear win, not a narrow one.
• Social context: attacking a member of an organised group means attacking the group.

The best defence is economic before it is military. An empty warehouse before a long break removes almost all interest in attacking you.

After that it's consistency: updated defences and even a modest standing army deter opportunistic attacks, which are the majority.

The instinct is immediate revenge. It's usually the most expensive mistake of the run, because you attack with fewer forces than before against someone who just gained some.

The right order is: rebuild production, secure your reserves, then reassess whether revenge is still worth it. Often it isn't, and that's fine.

• Strike when you have troops above your defensive minimum.
• Avoid chain attacks that leave you exposed.
• Prefer many small safe attacks to one large risky one.