Spartania: Casual Strategy Guide & Tips - Part 1

I am playing Spartania: Casual Strategy and it is pretty fun. It is somewhat similar to CoC except it's more like a side-scrolling 3D attack/defence game. Emily Goldring did a super job of a very comprehensive Spartania: Casual Strategy Review so I will not cover that here.

This is my current defence and it is very effective against the barbarian's attacks. So far, I have been breached perhaps fewer than 5 times (usually 2 levels higher) by the barbarians and no player has ever been successful yet.



I tried to find strategy, tips or guide online but I was in vain. So, I am here to help you. If I have the chance to restart again, I may play differently especially after reviewing the lowest level top 50 player GodIsAlive/JesusIsKing (currently level 32 / rank 26) and also Xinot20002645 who has just overtaken MisterE to be No. 1.

My initial strategy was to build a solid defence so that I could get ambrosia by successfully defending the barbarians' attacks. Since I needed 1300 ambrosia for the next builder, I could not wait passively to collect 2 ambrosia bottles that randomly appeared on top of the commander's tent. I noticed that I was attacked by the barbarians only when I was online at the defensive screen. So, I actively stayed on the defensive troop's screen as often and as long as possible to increase my chances of being attacked by barbarians. After the second builder, everybody is even game as you cannot recruit anymore.

Defensive Tips

1. Ambrosia - Why am I stating this as number 1? You need the second builder as soon as possible unless you are willing to pay. Collect your daily gift. Build a solid defence against barbarians and players. Stay at the defensive troop screen as often and as long as you can to collect your winnngs. You will constantly need food to replace your troops. Don't worry, this game favors the attacker.
2. Line of Defence - it is NOT the slanted up 45 degrees 3D first row visually. This IS VERY IMPORTANT. It is actually the vertical line. I observed the archers/range or melee units will approach/attack the nearest structure/building nearest to it from the vertical line. Try to arrange your ranged building/units as vertically as you can in order to have all of them focus-fire on the melee units.
3. Static Defensive - I believe you would have known this already. Prioritize to get and upgrade your static defenses (archer towers/catapults) to the maximum for the level you are in as soon as you can. Why? Static defenses have higher AoE and pin-point damage and health than your units especially early stages. Even at late stages, archer towers (1.7K hp) will take forever for the archers to take them down and also devastating pin-point damage. The catapults will still out-perform/out-live your magicians. Also, it does not cost food to replace when destroyed, unlike units. Only shortfall is out-ranged by archers and cannot move forward which can be a pro. Units move forward and get killed by focus-fire.
4. Resource Buildings - I place them in front of my archer towers as defensive buildings. You can argue that I need to protect my resources and people can surrender after raiding your resources. What good is it if you are completely overrun and lose half of your resources anyway. I observed the computer AI barbarians using another player's troops is perfect at deploying units. If you do not have the resource buildings to screw up their timing, the AI will be perfect at decimating your units every time. It's archers will take down your towers and catapults with their superior range. Then it's melee will meet your troops with the range plummeting you from behind. Just like what you do offensively, except perfection no matter the distance. They will overrun you once your defensive buildings are down. The resource buildings will screw up their timing and funnel their melee to be killed by your static defences and range. Your units will finally rush out to kill their magicians and archers. Which bring to my next point of building, troop or unit placement.
5. Building, Troop or Unit Placement - My initial placement was melee in front and range behind. I noticed that there was no focus-fire or cohesion when the barbarians attacked. Melee walked forward and get picked off by their archers' focus-fire and my range arrive too late. After lots of experiments, I found the optimum placement. Resource builidngs, archer towers, catapults, magicians, archers, tanks, horseman (yet to get the other units yet) vertically. With this kind of placement, quality fewer troops with focus-fire and cohesion can overcome a force of superior numbers. Of course, humans like you and I can overcome with superior archers to take down the static defences and magicians, then follow up by magicians, tanks, commander and horses which I will cover in part 2 of my offensive tips. *Update: The Tanks and Elephants make the magicians not as effective before. I have swapped my Archers with my Magicians to be infront but behind my static defenses surrounding my Elephant. So far, it has been proven effective against babarians but semi-effective against players. If the opponent's archers are very high level and a lot, they can take down my static defense 1-by-1. Nevertheless, if they are not careful, they can easily lose.
6. Resource - Not too sure this is coincidental or programmed (or paranoid)? Whenever I have high resources stored especially gold, I am almost always attacked by barbarians of same or higher levels. So, I always flush my resources upgrading and only attack when I need them. This is also protection against real players anyway. So far this is my observation. *Update: Who cares about resources. You can easily loot back from barbarians. Chests are more important.
7. Upgrade - Try to avoid breaks in your upgrades so let those long haul upgrades go overnight while you sleep. Try to avoid dual upgrade of the same type of troops e.g. 2 archers or 2 magicians or 2 tanks, unless you have like 4 to 5 troops for that type of unit. If you are using quality fewer troops and you are overrun, you cannot produce troops from that building while it is upgrading. *Update: I will cover in detail in Part 3.

Btw, I have managed to repel 6 to 8 levels up of "barbarian" attacks with this defence formation. *Update: Not so solid now. The most I can repel is similar or slightly a few levels apart. If fact, it is normal to lose. Any win is a bonus.

Stay tuned for the Part 2 - Offensive Tips.