The tutorial teaches Follow, Hold, Attack and Rush. Aim shows up in later command videos as the order that points ranged troops at a lane instead of letting them shoot the thickest armor. Circle formation is the Spartan shape creator guides tell you to rebuild after every charge.
What each order is for
- Follow keeps the selected troops with you, or with a friendly unit. Use it to walk cavalry to a flank instead of feeding them into the front.
- Hold keeps position and facing. On defense, a Spartan or shield that holds the point is doing the job. One that chases a kill has left the objective.
- Attack sends troops at the current target or a marked area. Set the formation first.
- Rush is the fast charge. It is the Lancer and Scout Rider button, and it is a bad button into spears or halberds.
- Aim points archers, crossbows and javelins. Without it they spend shots on shields.
A usable default from recorded matches is Hold on the front line, Aim on the ranged line, and Rush on one flanking troop only. If the formation breaks, re-issue it before you reposition everyone by hand.
Who beats whom
These are repeated creator rules, not a damage formula.
| You are fighting | Bring | Do not lead with |
|---|---|---|
| Cavalry | Spearman, Pikeman, Halberdier | An unsupported archer line |
| Shields or a Spartan ball | Mace, Halberdier, Samurai, javelins after the September 13 rework | Another shield standing in front of them |
| Archers and Flaming Archers | Scout Rider or Lancer into the back, after the line is busy | A charge into halberds |
| Your own cavalry | Their spears and halberds | Standing still in arrow range |
Samurai damage into shields comes with low health. Flaming Archers pressure a point and then die if a rider arrives. Imperial Wall soaks arrows and loses if the enemy walks past the short reach. Berserker is fast and poor into ranged focus.
A short decision list
- They are not pushing: Hold. Walking into a ready defense gives up the point timer.
- Their front line just broke: Attack before they reform.
- Archers are behind shields: Rush one flanker at the archers and Hold everyone else.
- Your Spartans keep dying: stop auto-charging them into the next wave. Hold them on the point and let block-damage troops hit the enemy shields.
Map shape changes which of these matters. A single choke wants the shield and the archers stacked. Open ground wants the rider. That split is in the maps guide.