Troop Formations Guide: Best Ratios for Every Battle Type
Critical Concept: The wrong formation loses battles even if you outpower your opponent. A 50-20-30 rally formation will get destroyed by a 60-15-25 defensive formation of equal power. Match your formation to the battle type or lose.
Troop formations in Kingshot determine whether you win or lose battles. The ratio of Infantry-Cavalry-Archers you deploy changes based on the battle type: offensive rallies, defensive garrisons, open-world PvP, events, and gathering. This guide covers every situation and provides optimal formations for each.
Understanding the Troop Triangle
Before diving into specific formations, understand the rock-paper-scissors system:
Infantry > Cavalry (Infantry beats Cavalry)
- Infantry high health counters cavalry burst damage
- Defensive stats absorb cavalry charges
Cavalry > Archers (Cavalry beats Archers)
- Mobility closes distance to archers
- High attack overwhelms archer defenses
Archers > Infantry (Archers beat Infantry)
- Range advantage keeps infantry at distance
- Lethality chips down infantry health pools
Key Insight: Formations exploit this triangle. Heavy infantry formations counter cavalry-heavy opponents. Heavy archer formations destroy infantry-focused enemies.
Formation Types: Infantry-Cavalry-Archers Explained
All formations are written as Infantry-Cavalry-Archers percentages.
Example: 50-20-30 means 50% Infantry, 20% Cavalry, 30% Archers
Offensive Rally Formations
Rally formations prioritize damage output because you're attacking, not defending.
Standard Rally Formation: 10-10-80
Ratio: 10% Infantry / 10% Cavalry / 80% Archers
Use Cases:
- Bear Hunt event rallies
- Castle sieges (PvP attacks)
- Monster rallies
- General offensive operations
Why It Works:
- 80% Archers maximize DPS through lethality
- 10% Infantry minimum for hero skill triggers
- 10% Cavalry minimum for flanking bonuses
- Prioritizes killing speed over survivability
Weaknesses:
- Fragile against counter-attacks
- Poor if enemy has defensive formation ready
- Requires rally leader to have strong heroes and gear
Balanced Rally Formation: 50-20-30
Ratio: 50% Infantry / 20% Cavalry / 30% Archers
Use Cases:
- Alliance Championship main lane
- Uncertain enemy compositions
- Castle attacks where defender is prepared
- Tri-Alliance Clash
Why It Works:
- 50% Infantry provides survivability
- 30% Archers still deliver strong DPS
- 20% Cavalry adds tactical flexibility
- Works against most defensive setups
Weaknesses:
- Lower DPS than 10-10-80
- Not specialized for any particular counter
Defensive Formations
Defense formations prioritize survival and outlasting attackers.
Standard Defense Formation: 60-15-25
Ratio: 60% Infantry / 15% Cavalry / 25% Archers
Use Cases:
- City garrison against expected attacks
- Castle defense during war events
- Holding territory points
- General defensive stance
Why It Works:
- 60% Infantry creates massive health pool
- Absorbs enemy damage through frontline
- 25% Archers chip enemy while infantry holds
- Outlasts most offensive formations
Strengths:
- Excellent against cavalry-heavy attacks
- High survivability against burst damage
- Wins through attrition
Heavy Defense Formation: 70-10-20
Ratio: 70% Infantry / 10% Cavalry / 20% Archers
Use Cases:
- Defending against significantly stronger attacker
- Stalling tactics during Kingdom vs Kingdom
- Protecting resources from raids
- Maximum survival time needed
Why It Works:
- 70% Infantry is nearly unkillable
- Buys time for alliance reinforcements
- Forces attacker to waste speedups and buffs
Weaknesses:
- Very low damage output
- Can't win through kills, only survival
PvP Formations (Open World)
Open-world PvP requires adapting to enemy compositions. Always scout before attacking.
Counter Heavy Infantry: 30-20-50
Use When: Enemy is using 60%+ Infantry defensive formation
Ratio: 30% Infantry / 20% Cavalry / 50% Archers
Why It Works:
- Archers beat Infantry in the troop triangle
- 50% Archers shred enemy frontline
- 30% Infantry survives long enough for archers to work
- 20% Cavalry disrupts enemy positioning
Example: You scout an enemy garrison with 60-15-25. You attack with 30-20-50 to exploit archer advantage against infantry.
Event-Specific Formations
Different events require different formations.
Bear Hunt Formation: 10-10-80
Ratio: 10% Infantry / 10% Cavalry / 80% Archers
Why:
- Bear doesn't attack back (pure DPS race)
- Lethality-focused archers maximize damage
- Zero need for defense
- Minimum infantry/cavalry for hero skill triggers
For full Bear Hunt strategy, see our Bear Hunt Guide.
Mystic Trial Formations
Coliseum: 50-10-40
Ratio: 50% Infantry / 10% Cavalry / 40% Archers
Why: Only hero gear counts, balanced formation leverages gear stats
Full guide: Coliseum Formation
Alliance Championship: 50-20-30
Standard Formation: 50% Infantry / 20% Cavalry / 30% Archers
Why:
- Balanced for unknown enemy compositions
- Works across multiple rounds
- Flexibility for different lane assignments
Full strategy: Alliance Championship Guide
Planning Tool: Use our Alliance Champion Calculator to determine optimal lane assignments for your alliance. Input your top 20 members' stats to get power distribution recommendations.
Gathering Formations
Gathering formations maximize resource efficiency, not combat.
Recommended: Match troop type to resource
Examples:
- Food nodes: 100% Cavalry (fastest gathering)
- Wood nodes: 100% Infantry (highest load capacity)
- Stone nodes: 100% Infantry (highest load capacity)
- Gold nodes: 100% Archers (balanced speed/capacity)
Why Single Type:
- Hero gathering bonuses apply to one troop type
- Economic heroes boost specific troop gathering speeds
- No combat expected, so no need for balanced formations
Exception: Dangerous zones use 50-20-30 balanced formation in case of ambush
Formation Presets (How to Save Time)
Kingshot allows saving formation presets for quick deployment.
- Rally Offense (10-10-80) - Bear Hunt, castle attacks
- Rally Balanced (50-20-30) - Alliance Championship, uncertain fights
- Defense Standard (60-15-25) - City garrison, territory defense
- Defense Heavy (70-10-20) - Emergency defense, stalling
- Gathering Food (100-0-0 Cavalry) - Food nodes
- Gathering Wood/Stone (100-0-0 Infantry) - Wood/Stone nodes
How to Save:
- Set your troop ratio
- Click "Save Preset" (formation icon)
- Name it clearly (e.g., "Rally-Archer-Heavy")
- Load instantly next time
Time Saver: Presets let you join rallies in 2 seconds instead of manually adjusting sliders every time.
Hero Positioning in Formations
Heroes should match your troop distribution.
Principle: Each hero primarily buffs their own troop type
Examples:
- Infantry hero (Amadeus, Zoe) in Position 1 buffs your Infantry
- Cavalry hero (Petra, Jabel) in Position 2 buffs your Cavalry
- Archer hero (Marlin, Quinn) in Position 3 buffs your Archers
Formation Matching:
- 10-10-80 formation: Use 1 Infantry hero, 1 Cavalry hero, 2 Archer heroes (if available)
- 60-15-25 formation: Use 2-3 Infantry heroes to maximize frontline
- 50-20-30 formation: Balanced, use 1 of each hero type
For hero combinations, see our Best Hero Combinations Guide.
Common Formation Mistakes
Don't Do This:
- Using rally formations (10-10-80) for defense (you'll get wiped)
- Using defensive formations (60-15-25) for rallies (terrible DPS)
- Not scouting enemy before PvP attacks (wrong counter formation)
- Forgetting to save formation presets (waste time every attack)
- Using balanced formations for Bear Hunt (pure DPS events need 80% archers)
- Skipping troop types entirely (wastes hero buff potential)
- Copy-pasting one formation for all battle types
Advanced Formation Theory
Micro-Adjustments
Fine-tuning formations based on specific situations:
Scenario 1: Enemy Has Healing Heroes
- Increase Archers by 5-10% for more lethality
- Healing countered by burst damage
Scenario 2: You're Significantly Outpowered
- Increase Infantry by 10-20% to survive longer
- Stall for alliance reinforcements
Scenario 3: Quick Knockout Needed
- Increase Archers/Cavalry by 10% for burst
- Trade survivability for speed
Scenario 4: Battle Reports Show Frontline Melting
- Increase Infantry by 5-10%
- Check if you need better infantry research or gear
Formation Strategy by Player Type
F2P Formation Strategy
Priority:
- Master defensive formations (60-15-25) first
- Learn rally joining formations (10-10-80 for events)
- Save multiple presets for quick switching
Key Insight: F2P players benefit more from smart formation choices because you can't outspend opponents. Correct formations let you punch above your weight.
Recommended Presets:
- Defense: 60-15-25
- Bear Hunt: 10-10-80
- Gathering: 100-0-0 (by resource type)
Formation Quick Reference Chart
| Battle Type | Formation | Priority Stat |
|---|---|---|
| Bear Hunt | 10-10-80 | Lethality |
| Rally Attack | 10-10-80 or 50-20-30 | Attack/Lethality |
| City Defense | 60-15-25 or 70-10-20 | Health/Defense |
| PvP vs Infantry | 30-20-50 | Archer Lethality |
| PvP vs Cavalry | 60-10-30 | Infantry Health |
| PvP vs Archers | 30-50-20 | Cavalry Attack |
| Alliance Championship | 50-20-30 | Balanced |
| Mystic Trial Coliseum | 50-10-40 | Hero Gear |
| Mystic Trial Forest | 50-15-35 | Pet Stats |
| Mystic Trial Nexus | 50-20-30 | Research |
| Gathering Food | 100 Cav | Gathering Speed |
| Gathering Wood/Stone | 100 Inf | Load Capacity |
Summary
Formations determine battle outcomes as much as power level. Use 10-10-80 for offensive rallies (Bear Hunt, castle attacks), 60-15-25 for defense, and adapt PvP formations to counter enemy troop types. Always scout before attacking, save formation presets for efficiency, and match hero types to your troop distribution.
Key Takeaways:
- Wrong formation loses battles even with higher power
- Rally offense uses 10-10-80 (80% archers for DPS)
- Defense uses 60-15-25 (60% infantry for survival)
- PvP requires counter-formations based on enemy composition
- Each event has optimal formations (check event guides)
- Save formation presets to switch instantly
- Match hero troop types to your formation ratios
For gear optimization, see our Gear Guide. For hero selection, check Best Hero Combinations.