Part of the Troops & Combat Series:
- Formation Guide: Build and compare marches for a specific activity.
- Train or Upgrade: Choose between more troops and better existing troops.
Quick Answer
Train Infantry in the Barracks, Hunters in the Range and Riders in the Garage. Their frontline, damage and support roles matter, alongside troop tier, subtype skills, heroes and account bonuses. A simple “Infantry beats Riders beats Hunters” triangle does not describe the full combat system.
Building levels unlock the classic T1–T10 progression. Later tiers require their own research paths. Raising a troop building's Plasma level is also distinct from unlocking an entirely new troop tier.
Types and Subtype Skills
| Type | General role | Examples of classic subtype differences |
|---|---|---|
| Infantry | Frontline that absorbs attacks | Shotguns and Shields have different defensive bonuses |
| Riders | Middle-line damage with relevant targeting skills | ATVs and Bikers have different preferred targets |
| Hunters | Backline damage | Bows and Snipers have different damage and targeting behavior |
For example, classic Bow units gain damage against Infantry while Snipers have bonuses against Riders. Infantry subtype defenses also differ. Later Plasma and crystal skills add further effects. Read the actual unit skill for the tier being deployed rather than treating every member of a troop type as identical.
These interactions do not mean you should remove the frontline whenever an opponent has many Infantry. Without enough protection, your damage troops may die sooner. Use formation testing to compare the complete march and its losses.
Classic Tier Unlocks
The following building milestones describe the standard progression through T10. Each troop type needs its own corresponding training building upgraded.
| Troop tier | Training-building level |
|---|---|
| T1 | 1 |
| T2 | 4 |
| T3 | 7 |
| T4 | 10 |
| T5 | 13 |
| T6 | 16 |
| T7 | 19 |
| T8 | 22 |
| T9 | 26 |
| T10 | 30 |
HQ progression permits those building upgrades but does not complete them for you. Reaching HQ 26, for example, is not the same as having all three training buildings at level 26. Check the HQ prerequisite guide when the building itself remains locked.
T11, T12 and Plasma Levels
T11 uses the Institute of Plasma research route; T12 uses the Crystal Energy Institute's relevant research. The documented T12 branches require the corresponding T11 unlock first. Plan by troop type and the actual prerequisites in your state.
A troop's Plasma enhancement and its tier are separate attributes. Guidance that a Plasma building enhancement preserves an existing troop's basic resource cost does not prove that T11 and T12 training cost the same as T10.
Budget the research unlock and the subsequent training or upgrade separately. Do not multiply an old “research levels per type” estimate by three and treat it as a current complete cost. The Plasma progression guide helps distinguish building, research and material gates.
Training, Upgrading and Available Troops
Fresh training adds troops. Upgrading changes eligible lower-tier troops into the higher unlocked tier without increasing total count. Use training to fill shortages across your planned marches and upgrades to improve troops you already have.
Troop queues cost the resources and time in their preview. Combat Manuals belong to hero EXP. Troops also do not generate a passive settlement food bill just because you have trained more of them.
Keep useful queues active, with resources reserved for other work and healing. Before spending speedups for an event, compare the exact training or upgrade points and the queue's remaining time. The training decision guide provides a worked comparison.
Capacity Is Not the Same as Army Size
March capacity limits one deployment; march slots limit simultaneous deployments. Your available troop pool still has to fill those assignments by type. A large total army can remain short of the Infantry needed for multiple rallies.
A saved formation may send fewer troops after another march leaves. Check the launch screen instead of assuming a preset preserves its original troop count. The capacity and slots guide explains the separate limits.
Do not automatically fill every spare slot with low-tier troops for every activity. A rally can have requested tiers and ratios, while a dangerous fight can make extra exposure expensive. Follow the mode's rules and the leader's plan.
Casualties and Recovery
A troop can be deployed, upgrading, wounded, eligible for a recovery system or permanently lost. Those states need different responses. Inspect the battle report and troop locations before retraining everything missing from a march selector.
Casualty rules also vary by activity. Hospital room matters, but a mode can still permit killed troops. Analysis Centers, particularly Level 4, should not be approached using another event's recovery assumptions.
Use the Hospital and Enlistment guide for diagnosis, and settlement protection when the concern is avoiding the next attack.
Other Combat Systems
For the difference between the displayed number and a useful combat improvement, see increasing Battle Power. Troop availability, formation requirements and casualties still need separate checks.
Troop performance also depends on research, heroes and equipment. Special Forces Engines attach another development layer to troop buildings, while Aircraft, Carriers and War Vehicles have separate requirements.
Improve the system that limits your assigned role. A developing rally joiner may get more immediate use from enough eligible troops than from trying to match the alliance's main rally leader across every expensive system.
Diagnose a Formation With Its Report
Use the battle report walkthrough to compare deployed troops, casualty categories, matching stats and skill effects. For Immortal Arena, inspect all three march results before concentrating more resources in a team that already wins.
FAQ
Which building trains each troop type? Barracks train Infantry, the Range trains Hunters, and the Garage trains Riders.
Does reaching an HQ level unlock every troop of that tier? No. You must also upgrade the corresponding training buildings and satisfy any later-tier research requirements.
Is a Plasma troop level the same as T11? No. Plasma enhancement and troop tier are separate progression attributes. T11 has its own research unlock.
Should I train or upgrade? Train for additional numbers and upgrade for better existing troops, then compare the actual event and resource costs.
Does an empty Hospital guarantee no troop deaths? No. Some combat rules permit killed troops even when space exists. Check the mode and battle report.
Key Takeaways
- Use troop roles and actual unit skills when planning combat.
- Separate HQ access, training-building levels, Plasma enhancements and later-tier research.
- Diagnose available troops and casualty categories before spending on replacements.