The game gives you three factions and expects you to build all of them. The combat reports tell a different story. Your troops are the base that everything else multiplies — and concentration makes that base hit harder. Here's the case for single-faction investment, backed by real battle data from S497.
Troop power stacks in three layers. Build them in order.
Troop Concentration — Fill every march with a single faction. Every research bonus and hero passive stacking → works on the same base. Mixed troops = split bonuses. Free and instant.
Research Investment — Pour speed-ups into your faction's ATK → DMG → DEF → HP rows. Buffs every troop in every march. Compounds over months.
Hero Multipliers — Star-up faction heroes, level passives, equip them. Heroes multiply Layers 1 and 2. A great hero on a thin base still produces thin results.
The game's power scaling is multiplicative: Troops × Research × Hero Passives × Equipment × Faction Bonus. When you concentrate in one faction, every layer compounds with every other. Split across three factions and each sits at one-third depth. You don't get one-third power — you get dramatically less because multipliers compound.
CK proved this in S497: 8,726 T9 Fighters with 71.2% faction bonus beat 7,164 T10 with 20.3% faction bonus. Troop count and concentration mattered more than tier. See the full breakdown →
The principle works for Fighters, Riders, or Shooters — each has accessible S-tier heroes. CK chose Fighters.
Post-Watchtower 30, expand slowly — diversify troops and research only, never hero spending. A deep primary + shallow secondary beats two medium factions.
If you have faction-wide DEF and HP passives unlocked (like Tristan +30% DEF, Francis +14.5% HP), your heroes are already delivering survivability. Shift research to offence: ATK → DMG → DEF → HP. Two offensive multipliers beat one — they multiply each other, not add.
The principle: don't duplicate what heroes provide. Let them handle defence; use research to fill the gap.
| Troop | Power | Heroes | Troops |
|---|---|---|---|
| T1 | 50.65M | Francis, Tristan, Guy, C&R, Farhad | 100% Fighter |
| T2 | 16.64M | Andre, Natasha, Megan, Evans, Kylie | 100% Fighter |
| T3 | 13.85M | Victor, Quinn, Scarlett, Corleone, Eddie | 100% Fighter |
| T4 | 5.95M | Bob, Barnett, Musashimaru, Liz, Joe | Mixed |
Every march 100% single faction. Formation 1 has the highest-CP heroes (your multiplicative stack). Formation 2 is secondary. Formations 3–4 are T1 filler for gathering.
CP = Combat Power. Hero stats + equipment. Higher CP = stronger multiplier. Always sort your highest-CP heroes into Formation 1 (battle), next-best into Formation 2, weakest into gathering formations. This maximizes damage output where it matters.
HP growth accelerates at T8. Every tier after is significantly harder to reach — but the damage jump justifies it.
| Tier | ATK | DEF | HP | CP/unit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| T5 | 22 | 22 | 77 | 660 |
| T6 | 27 | 27 | 86 | 850 |
| T7 | 32 | 32 | 96 | 1,070 |
| T8 | 37 | 37 | 111 | 1,380 |
| T9 | 44 | 44 | 132 | 1,780 |
| T10 | 51 | 51 | 153 | 2,190 |
T7→T8: HP jumps 96→111 (+15). T8→T9: HP 111→132 (+21). T9→T10: HP 132→153 (+21). Build to T8 for the survival gain. Push to T9+ only if you can sustain the WT upgrade pace.
Every faction has identical base stats. These are your multiplier targets. Higher tier = higher base = bigger buff output. A T9 with 800% buffs hits harder than a T6 with the same buffs.
| Tier | ATK | DEF | HP | Load | CP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T1 | 7 | 7 | 49 | 600 | 150 |
| T2 | 9 | 9 | 54 | 800 | 220 |
| T3 | 12 | 12 | 60 | 1,000 | 310 |
| T4 | 17 | 17 | 68 | 1,200 | 450 |
| T5 | 22 | 22 | 77 | 1,400 | 660 |
| T6 | 27 | 27 | 86 | 1,600 | 850 |
| T7 | 32 | 32 | 96 | 1,800 | 1,070 |
| T8 | 37 | 37 | 111 | 2,000 | 1,380 |
| T9 | 44 | 44 | 132 | 2,200 | 1,780 |
| T10 | 51 | 51 | 153 | 2,400 | 2,190 |
| WT | Camp Level | Unlocks Tier |
|---|---|---|
| 1–3 | Lv 1–3 | T1 |
| 4–6 | Lv 4–6 | T2 |
| 7–9 | Lv 7–9 | T3 |
| 10–12 | Lv 10–12 | T4 |
| 13–15 | Lv 13–15 | T5 |
| 16–18 | Lv 16–18 | T6 |
| 19–21 | Lv 19–21 | T7 |
| 22–24 | Lv 22–24 | T8 |
| 25–27 | Lv 25–27 | T9 |
| 28–30 | Lv 28–30 | T10 |
Each 3-level WT jump = 1 new tier. Focus on maxing your chosen faction's Camp at each WT level — it's your tier gatekeeper.
Don't research second factions. Every tech point in Shooter/Rider research pulls resources from your primary faction's depth. Wait until post-WT30.
Don't spend on second-faction heroes. Fragment resources compound deepest when focused. Even post-30, fragments still go to your primary.
Build Shooter/Rider camps only if they unlock Watchtower prereqs. Minimum viable build. Then stop.
Use T1 filler troops for gathering. Cheap to train, no research needed. Free your primary troops for combat.
Formation 2 is weak. Without deep research and second-tier heroes, it folds fast to coordinated attacks. Accept losses here.
Healing costs spiral. Single-faction means treating troops as expendable. Budget for frequent rebuilds.
WT forces diversification anyway. By WT30 you'll need Shooters and Riders built. This delays, doesn't avoid it.
It's tedious. One faction for 6+ months is monotonous. Some players burn out before WT30.
Is This Right for You?
Concentration works best for C2P/F2P players in active alliances who value long-term compounding over short-term breadth. If you're a whale ($50+/day) or alliance leader, balanced troops make more sense. If you're a completionist who gets bored with one faction, pick a strategy that keeps you engaged — a slow-burning player beats a burned-out one.