Quick summary
Read the board first: hex position, height, terrain, movement restrictions, and which spaces are threatened. Use affinity as a composition check across traits and equipment, protect your leader because his defeat forces the whole squad to retreat, and build formations around the leader’s available formation. The Support command lets one monster join the leader and grant a support ability.
[IMAGE: hex battlefield showing height layers and terrain features]
Why reading the board matters
- Hex grid and threatened spaces: Battles take place on a hex grid where who threatens which hex matters. Before committing moves, evaluate which squares put your units in safe versus threatened positions.
- Height and terrain: Height differences, terrain effects, and movement restrictions change how units can approach or escape. Some obstacles have special effects — treat them as more than simple movement blockers.
- Movement limits: Movement rules and terrain restrictions determine which avenues of approach are viable. Use chokepoints and heights to force favorable engagements.
Affinity: composition over a single matchup chart
- What the system says: Affinity is one documented way to gain an edge. The official guidance recommends assessing units’ attributes, characteristics, skills, and equipment when combining units.
- How to use it in practice: Think of affinity as a composition check. Look at each unit’s role (long-range, area magic, status, tanking, recovery), then compare attributes and equipment to assemble a squad that covers weaknesses rather than relying on a simplified rock-paper-scissors chart.
Leader and squad rules to keep in mind
- Squad size and formations: A squad can have up to five monsters, and the leader determines which formations are available. Build the five-monster group to cover roles your chosen formation needs.
- Support command: The system overview documents a Support command. When you use it, one monster joins the leader and grants its support ability for that command.
- Leader defeat consequence: If a leader falls, the entire squad is forced to retreat with that leader. Protect leaders accordingly — retreat is not the same as permanent loss, but it ends the engagement for that squad.
Leader-sniping: a clear trade-off
- What players report: Post-launch player reports describe a leader-sniping trade-off. Defeating the leader is a fast way to force the squad to retreat and end the fight, but doing so too early can mean leaving behind monster experience and potential rewards.
- Practical decision rule: If the battlefield is under your control and you have the resources (healing, gear, a safe position), clear remaining monsters to maximize gains. If a unit is near death, you lack healing, or terrain leaves you exposed, finishing the leader to end the fight is often the practical choice.
- Tie this to systems: Connect the decision to terrain, the leader’s formation, your squad’s gear and healing capacity, and whether you can sustain a longer fight — avoid treating leader-sniping as a moral or always-correct tactic.
Positioning and formations: how to think about your five monsters
- Build around the leader: Since the leader determines formation choices, pick monsters that fill the formation’s required roles — front-line durability, ranged coverage, magic AOE, support/healing, or status application as needed.
- Zone control and encirclement: The system highlights positioning and threatened spaces, but no official numeric encirclement bonus or exact zone-of-control rules are provided in the sources. Use encirclement conceptually: control key hexes to deny enemy movement and protect your vulnerable units.
- Use terrain to amplify roles: Position ranged or fragile units where height and terrain grant safety; use obstacles to funnel or block enemy approaches for your tanks.
Tactical checklist before you move
- Scan: Identify heights, obstacles with special effects, and terrain that restricts movement.
- Threat map: Mark which hexes are unsafe for each of your units this turn.
- Formation fit: Confirm your five monsters cover the roles your leader’s formation needs.
- Support choice: Decide if you’ll use the Support command and which monster’s support ability best aids the leader’s plan.
- Exit strategy: If a leader is exposed, consider whether ending the fight by defeating the leader or preserving the squad for further gains is the better outcome.
When to prioritize different objectives
- Prioritize killing the leader when: the squad is trapped, you can’t sustain a prolonged fight, or ending the encounter quickly prevents a worse outcome.
- Prioritize clearing monsters when: you control the battlefield, have enough healing/resources, and the extra kills are worth the time and risk.
Further reading
- For how formations and monster classes fit into long-term squad planning, see the Classes page and the Stronghold Progression guide.
Internal links
- Classes → /classes
- Stronghold Progression → /stronghold-progression
[IMAGE: example formation diagram centered on a leader]
Notes and limits
This page follows the official system overview and post-launch player reports. The sources describe battlefield mechanics (hex grid, height, terrain), affinity as a composition factor, squad size (up to five monsters), leader defeat forcing squad retreat, and the Support command. Exact numeric modifiers, damage formulas, encirclement bonus values, or guaranteed opening formations are not provided in the cited sources and therefore are not listed here.