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The words and abbreviations we use in the game, explained for beginners: what it is, where to find it, when it happens.
Alliance Championship
Weekly tournament between six alliances of the state. Each member registers a squad in one of three lanes; in each lane the 20 strongest squads fight automatically. The alliance that wins 2 lanes out of 3 wins the round, and the results move it up or down between tiers.
Bear Trap (Bear Hunt)
Alliance event against a giant bear that appears at the alliance's Bear Trap, next to the HQ. For 30 minutes, members join rallies to hit it: the more damage the alliance deals, the better everyone's rewards (Essence Stones among others). The bear never hits back, so no troops are lost.
One-hour battle between three alliances from different states in the Lost Canyon. You capture buildings first, then fortresses, then fight for the Frozen Citadel in the center, which is worth the most points.
Crazy Joe
Alliance defense event: Crazy Joe's bandits attack in 20 waves that get stronger and stronger. You score by killing bandits in your own city, or in an ally's city you reinforce (half points). Waves 10 and 20 attack the alliance HQ, and some waves only target players who are online.
Fortress Battle (Strongholds)
Weekly battle for the fortresses and strongholds of the state map, held at first by mercenaries. R4/R5 register a target; the alliance that holds it for more than 30 minutes in a row wins it, and the officers then share out its rewards.
Foundry Battle
One-hour battle between two alliances on a separate map. Each alliance fields up to two legions (30 fighters and 10 substitutes each) that capture buildings such as the Imperial Foundry, the Prototype Sites and the Repair Facilities; each building gives points every minute. Troops are healed after the battle.
Frostfire Mine
Solo PvP event in a separate mine. For 30 minutes, you mine Orichalcum from veins and steal some from other players by beating them, even members of your own alliance. Skills that only exist in this event unlock as you defeat Mine Patrols. Rewards depend on your ranking: Charm Designs and Charm Guides.
King of Icefield
Week-long competition between six states, without fighting. Each day has a theme (construction, heroes, skills, training…) and the points you earn add up for your state.
Alliance Mobilization
Monthly team event from Monday to Saturday: every member receives missions each day, and the points count both for you and for the alliance's league.
Sunfire Castle
The big battle for the castle in the middle of the state map. Alliances fight to hold the castle and the turrets around it. The winning alliance chooses the President, who then appoints ministers whose bonuses help the whole state.
State vs State (State of Power)
Two states face each other. Preparation phase: 5 days of themed tasks (construction, research, beasts, training, power) where every point you score counts for the state. Battle day: portals open and you can teleport into the enemy state to fight. The castle battle decides the President; a state that wins both phases gets a Supreme President over both states.
Academy alliance
A second alliance linked to a main alliance ("academy EMP" for us), for smaller or newer players. It follows the same rules and NAPs and has its own Bear Trap.
Brothers in Arms
Our coalition of allied alliances and the rules they share: no attacks on NAP cities, what is allowed on tiles, who to call when attacked. See our Diplomacy rules.
Alliance Headquarters
The alliance's main building on the world map. It marks out the alliance territory, the Bear Trap stands next to it, and Crazy Joe attacks it in waves 10 and 20.
Ministers (state positions)
Positions appointed by the President, each giving a bonus for a while: Vice President (construction, research and training speed), Interior (resource production), Health (healing), Defense (troop lethality), Strategy (troop attack and deployment capacity), Education (training).
Non-Aggression Pact
An agreement between alliances not to attack each other's cities. Our current NAPs and what they allow (for example attacks on tiles) are listed in our Diplomacy rules.
President (and Supreme President)
Title won by the alliance that takes Sunfire Castle. The President gives bonuses to the whole state and appoints the ministers. When a state wins both phases of SvS, its winner becomes Supreme President of both states, with stronger bonuses.
Alliance ranks
The ranks inside an alliance, from R1 (newcomer) to R5 (leader). R4s are officers: they manage members, events and diplomacy. The R5 is the alliance leader. On this site, R4s and R5s keep the calendar and the rules up to date.
Infantry (shield troops)
Front-line troops that absorb damage. Infantry is strong against lancers and weak against marksmen.
Infirmary (wounded troops)
Wounded troops go to the infirmary and must be healed, which takes time and resources. When it is full, extra wounded troops are lost for good.
Rally joiner (and rally leader)
The rally leader is the player who starts the rally: their three heroes and all their expedition skills lead the attack. Joiners are the players who add their troops: from each joiner, only the top expedition skill of the first hero is used.
Lancers (spear troops)
Balanced troops between attack and defense. Lancers are strong against marksmen and weak against infantry.
March (squad, formation)
A group of troops led by up to three heroes that you send onto the world map: to gather, attack, reinforce or join a rally. You can save ready-made formations so you send the right heroes and troops in one tap.
Marksmen (ranged troops)
Ranged troops that deal the most damage but are fragile. Marksmen are strong against infantry and weak against lancers.
The number that sums up an account's strength: troops, buildings, research, heroes and gear. Some events (Frostfire Mine zones, SvS matchmaking) use it to compare players.
A group attack. A leader starts a rally with a countdown, members join it with their troops, and everyone marches together when the countdown ends. Used on the bear, Polar Terrors, fortresses and enemy cities.
Reinforce / Garrison
Sending your troops to stay in an ally's city or in an alliance building to defend it. The troops defending a place are its garrison. In Crazy Joe, reinforcing others earns you points even while you are offline.
Peace Shield (bubble)
An item that protects your city from attacks and scouting for a set time. Attacking or scouting someone removes your shield.
Troop tiers
The level of your troops: T1 is the weakest, T10 then T11 the strongest. Higher tiers fight much better and count for more points in events like SvS.
How a march is split between the three troop types, always written infantry / lancers / marksmen. "50/20/30" means 50% infantry, 20% lancers and 30% marksmen.
Zeroed ("burned")
Player slang for a city that lost all its troops, or got burned, after heavy attacks.
Hero gear: Essence Stones and Mithril
Each hero wears gear that boosts the troops they lead. Essence Stones (won at the Bear Trap, among others) upgrade this gear further, and Mithril is used for its highest levels.
Hero skills used in fights on the world map: rallies, attacks, defense and most events. Not to be confused with exploration skills, which only work in the Exploration story mode.
Hero generation
New heroes arrive in generations over the life of a state: Gen 1 at the start, Gen 2 around day 40 (Flint, Philly, Alonso), Gen 3 around day 120 (Logan, Mia, Greg), and so on. Each new generation is usually stronger than the previous one.
Fragments used to recruit a hero and to raise their stars. Named shards belong to one hero; general shards can be used for any hero of the same rarity.
The characters who lead your troops. Each hero has a type (infantry, lancer or marksman), a rarity (blue rare, purple epic, gold mythic) and two kinds of skills: exploration (story mode) and expedition (fights on the world map). Up to three heroes per march; the first one leads.
Hero widgets (exclusive gear)
Materials that unlock and upgrade a hero's exclusive gear, which makes that hero's skills stronger. Only some heroes have exclusive gear.
Chief Charms
Charms set into your Chief Gear that add troop lethality and health. They are upgraded with Charm Designs and Charm Guides, the rewards of the Frostfire Mine among others.
Six pieces of gear worn by your chief (not by heroes) that boost all your troops. They are upgraded with Hardened Alloy, Polishing Solution and Design Plans, won in Crazy Joe and in shops like the Championship shop.
Characters who give permanent bonuses to your account. They are leveled up with Expert Sigils and Books of Knowledge.
Fire Crystal
After Furnace level 30, buildings keep growing with Fire Crystals, through levels FC1 to FC10. "FC5" means a building (usually the Furnace) at Fire Crystal level 5. Fire Crystal Shards are a related material.
Furnace (main building)
The heart of your city: its level limits all your other buildings. "Furnace level" is the usual way to describe an account's progress, for example F25 or F30, then FC1, FC2… once you reach the Fire Crystal era.
Companions with their own skills, from gathering bonuses to combat buffs you switch on before a fight. Pets arrive in generations as the state ages; advancing and refining them makes them stronger.
Permanent bonuses you study one after the other: faster gathering and building, stronger troops, and so on.
Refined Fire Crystal
A stronger version of the Fire Crystal, refined from Fire Crystals in the Crystal Lab. It is needed for the highest building levels (FC6 and above).
Chief stamina
Energy spent to attack beasts and Polar Terrors on the world map. It refills slowly over time; stamina cans add more at once.
VIP level
An account level that you raise with VIP points. It gives permanent bonuses and opens the VIP store.
Building used for advanced troop research, including T11 troops.
The game's premium currency, used in shops, to finish timers or to buy items.
Resources
Short for "resources": Meat, Wood, Coal and Iron. You need them to build, research, train and heal.
Items that cut time from construction, research, training or healing. General speedups work on everything; the others only on their own action.
Wild animals on the world map that you attack alone, using chief stamina. They give items and help you finish daily tasks.
A huge beast on the world map that only an alliance rally can defeat. Everyone who joins the rally gets rewards.
State (server)
Each server of the game is a state with its own map, President and events. Ours is state 4210. States are matched against each other for SvS and King of Icefield.
The number of days since the state opened. New heroes, pets, buildings and events unlock on set days, the same way in every state.
Moves your city to another place on the map. The random teleport picks a spot for you, the advanced teleport goes where you choose, the alliance teleport places you near the alliance (for newcomers), and the cross-state teleport is used during SvS.
Resource tiles
Spots on the world map (fields, forests, coal and iron mines) where you send troops to gather resources. While they gather, your troops can be attacked. A "farm" is a gathering tile, or a second account used only to gather.
State transfer
Moving your account to another state. Transfers only open during set windows after SvS, with a power limit chosen by the Presidents and a limited number of places.
