Learn how Clash of Kings troops work with this guide to infantry, cavalry, archers, siege units, formations, Soldier Progression, troop specialization, counters, and practical combat strategies.
Troops are the military foundation of your kingdom.
They are used for:
Attacking enemy castles
Defending your own castle
Joining rallies
Reinforcing allies
Fighting battlefield objectives
Hunting monsters and camps
Gathering resources
Alliance warfare
Longstanding Clash of Kings combat documentation divides troops broadly into infantry, cavalry, ranged units, and siege/chariots. Troops also differ internally by level and battlefield role rather than functioning as identical units with different artwork.
That means building a strong army requires more than unlocking the highest troop tier available.
You need to understand what each unit contributes.
There is no single troop type that is universally best.
The strongest option depends on:
Your heroes
Soldier Progression
Research
Lord equipment
Hero equipment
Dragons
Civilization
Arrays
Troop-specific attributes
Enemy composition
Whether you are attacking or defending
A highly developed cavalry account may outperform an equally powerful-looking mixed army because every major bonus supports cavalry.
The same can be true for infantry, archers, or another specialized build.
Therefore, instead of asking:
What is the strongest troop?
Ask:
Which troop can I support with the greatest amount of meaningful bonuses?
Infantry generally forms the frontline component of a Clash of Kings army.
Historically, the troop system has included more defensive infantry alongside more damage-oriented infantry variants. Longstanding battle documentation places defensive or tank-like units toward the front of combat targeting.
Their purpose is not necessarily to produce the highest damage number.
Their value often comes from protecting the rest of the army.
A strong infantry component can help:
Absorb incoming damage
Protect ranged damage dealers
Improve defensive stability
Keep more fragile units alive longer
Support mixed formations
Strengthen castle defense
This makes infantry especially important when the rest of your formation relies heavily on units that should not take the first wave of enemy damage.
Consider an infantry-focused build when you already have strong:
Infantry heroes
Infantry research
Infantry equipment
Infantry Arrays
Infantry Soldier Progression
Defensive and HP statistics
A heavily specialized infantry account can become significantly more effective than one that adds infantry only as an afterthought.
This is a common mistake.
A frontline unit that survives longer can indirectly increase your entire army's damage because your ranged and offensive troops remain protected for more battle rounds.
Defense and HP can therefore matter just as much as raw Attack.
Cavalry is another major Clash of Kings troop branch.
Historically, the game has contained both melee and ranged cavalry variants, adding more complexity than simply treating every cavalry soldier as the same unit.
Cavalry builds often appeal to players who prefer aggressive military specialization.
Cavalry-focused accounts can benefit greatly when multiple systems reinforce the same troop type.
A powerful cavalry march can combine:
Cavalry-specific hero talents
Cavalry research
Cavalry equipment
Cavalry Arrays
Soldier Progression
Dragon bonuses
Other troop-specific statistics
Clash of Kings' official Array guidance has historically even used a cavalry specialist as an example, explaining that a player specializing heavily in cavalry could equip cavalry-focused Arrays across all eight positions to maximize relevant attributes.
That illustrates how deeply specialization can extend.
Do not assume that choosing cavalry guarantees superior damage.
A weak cavalry build will still lose to a properly developed enemy formation.
Your combat results depend on the complete account:
Troops + Hero + Research + Equipment + Array + Soldier Progression + Dragon + Other Bonuses
Cavalry becomes powerful when those systems work together.
Ranged units are one of the game's major offensive branches.
The longstanding combat structure distinguishes between multiple ranged categories such as bowmen and crossbowmen, while the modern official game description continues to identify archers as one of the game's primary military groups.
Ranged armies are usually built around delivering damage while other units handle frontline pressure.
A ranged army without proper support can become vulnerable.
Your formation needs enough durability to keep your important damage-producing troops alive.
This is why simply filling a march with the unit that produces the largest Attack statistic can be misleading.
Real combat asks a different question:
Can those troops survive long enough to use their damage?
Ranged specialization becomes attractive when you have:
Archer-focused heroes
Strong ranged research
Relevant equipment
Archer or ranged Soldier Progression
Matching Array bonuses
A formation capable of protecting them
Stacking these bonuses can create a powerful dedicated damage march.
Clash of Kings also includes siege or chariot-style military units.
They are part of the game's established troop structure alongside infantry, cavalry, and archers.
Siege troops should generally be viewed as specialized units rather than something you automatically maximize in every army.
Their usefulness depends heavily on:
Your account bonuses
The battle type
Your target
Your available specialized statistics
Whether your hero and research support them
If your account has almost no siege-specific bonuses, adding large numbers of siege troops may increase displayed Power without improving the actual quality of your primary combat march.
Build them when they serve a clear purpose.
Unlocking better troops is an important part of progression.
However, troop tier should never be analyzed by itself.
Higher-level troops typically provide stronger base performance, but actual results also depend on the bonuses attached to the soldier.
A developed troop type with:
Strong research
Soldier Progression
Hero bonuses
Equipment
Array bonuses
may provide far more value than a newly unlocked troop that your account barely supports.
Beginners often train enormous armies because troop training increases Power.
That can create problems later.
Large quantities of weaker troops:
Consume resources
Increase healing costs
Can fill hospitals
Can create unnecessary casualties
May contribute little to your strongest march
Train with a purpose rather than simply chasing a bigger Power number.
Soldier Progression is one of the most important recent additions to Clash of Kings combat.
It became available in August 2026 and can be accessed through:
Training Buildings → Soldier Upgrade
The system allows you to develop specific soldier types individually.
This is important because Soldier Progression does not simply give every troop in your kingdom an equal generic bonus.
It encourages deeper specialization.
Training Plaques are used to increase a specific soldier type's attribute level.
These improvements boost:
Basic Attack
Basic Defense
Basic HP
for that soldier type.
These are fundamental combat statistics.
Improving them on soldiers you actually use can strengthen your primary march directly.
Do not distribute them evenly simply because every soldier can be upgraded.
Start with the units that form the core of your primary combat build.
For example, if your entire account already emphasizes cavalry, improving cavalry soldiers may create more immediate value than putting the same materials into a siege unit you rarely send.
The same logic applies to any troop specialization.
Talent Plaques are the second major part of Soldier Progression.
They can unlock exclusive Soldier skills.
Once unlocked, these abilities can deal significant additional damage in battle. Additional Talent Plaques can improve both the skill's trigger chance and damage.
This makes Talent Plaques particularly important.
You are not merely increasing another percentage statistic.
You are potentially improving the actual combat behavior of that troop type.
Before spending rare Talent Plaques, consider:
How often you use that soldier
Whether it belongs to your main march
How developed its hero support is
Whether your research supports it
Whether your Arrays support it
Whether you intend to continue using that troop long term
Rare progression materials produce the most value when concentrated.
Clash of Kings has used an Array system as another layer of combat customization.
Official Clash of Kings guidance explains that the modernized Array design allows different unit-focused pieces to occupy its positions rather than locking every position to one predetermined unit type.
The system historically includes eight Array positions.
This allows both specialized and mixed approaches.
Official Array documentation explains that matching unit-focused pieces can activate set attributes at:
2 matching pieces
4 matching pieces
6 matching pieces
8 matching pieces
This creates two broad strategies.
You can build heavily around one troop type, or combine different Array bonuses when your army is intentionally mixed.
Exact values and available attributes can change as systems are updated, so always verify the current in-game numbers before committing rare materials.
One of the strongest general approaches is building heavily around a single primary troop category.
This does not necessarily mean sending literally only one troop type into every battle.
It means your most important offensive bonuses point toward the same category.
For example, a specialized build could align:
Cavalry Hero + Cavalry Research + Cavalry Equipment + Cavalry Array + Cavalry Soldier Progression
or:
Archer Hero + Archer Research + Archer Equipment + Archer Array + Archer Soldier Progression
This creates synergy.
Every bonus multiplies the value of the other investments.
Your strongest hero improves troops that are already improved by your research.
Your Arrays improve troops that are already receiving better basic attributes from Soldier Progression.
Your equipment reinforces the same army.
Instead of several average troop categories, you develop one dangerous primary march.
Another practical approach is using one major damage category supported by a durable frontline.
For example:
Frontline infantry + primary ranged damage
can offer more stability than blindly filling a march with ranged units.
The precise proportions depend heavily on your statistics and enemy composition, so there is no responsible universal percentage such as "always use 20% infantry and 80% archers."
Fixed ratios can become outdated very quickly in Clash of Kings because accounts differ enormously.
Test your own formation through actual battle reports.
Mixed formations can also work.
The official Array system specifically allows mixed-unit setups and recommends adjusting the composition according to primary and secondary attributes.
Mixed armies can be valuable when:
Your account has strong bonuses across multiple troops
Your hero supports multiple categories
Your battle objective benefits from flexibility
You need frontline durability and ranged damage together
You are defending rather than building one aggressive strike march
The danger is spreading progression too widely.
A mixed army needs real support for each troop category rather than simply adding everything you own.
You will encounter guides recommending exact troop ratios.
Be careful.
A formation that works for one player may perform poorly for another because of differences in:
Soldier levels
Soldier Progression
Heroes
Research
Equipment
Arrays
Dragons
Civilization
Troop quantity
Enemy formation
Battlefield effects
Instead of copying one ratio forever, use your combat results to refine your own composition.
This became easier in the latest Clash of Kings update.
The August 2026 Battle Report improvements added clearer attribute comparisons, using:
Red for lower values
Green for higher values
Progression sections can also be collapsed or expanded, and Battle Details received a simplified report view.
These changes make battle reports one of your best optimization tools.
Do not immediately assume you need more troops.
Check whether the enemy had stronger:
Basic troop attributes
Hero progression
Dragon bonuses
Soldier Progression
Attack
Defense
HP
Damage-related attributes
Then examine which troops actually produced useful results.
A good battle report can show you whether the problem was quantity, composition, or simply a massive attribute disadvantage.
Clash of Kings combat is not designed around one formation automatically defeating everything.
Official Clash of Kings strategy material has specifically highlighted troop countering as an important tool when fighting difficult enemies such as Super Camps. The developer guidance recommended selecting troops according to the defending composition rather than sending the same army regardless of the opponent.
The same principle applies more broadly to PvP.
Before attacking, identify what the opponent appears to specialize in.
Then decide whether your strongest march is actually suited to the target.
Scouting is one of the simplest combat advantages available.
Do not attack another castle based only on:
Castle level
Displayed Power
Player name
Alliance rank
Power does not reveal the complete army.
An apparently weaker account may have highly specialized:
Soldiers
Heroes
Dragons
Research
Equipment
Defensive bonuses
Information reduces unnecessary losses.
Creating one strong preset is useful, but treating it as universally optimal is not.
Different situations can demand different approaches.
You may want separate setups for:
Solo PvP
Rally attacks
Reinforcement
Castle defense
Monsters
Resource gathering
Specialized battlefield objectives
The game itself supports multiple marching queues and displays marching heroes with those queues, reinforcing the idea that armies can serve different purposes.
Rallies allow multiple alliance members to combine their forces against stronger targets.
Clash of Kings' official strategy material has long emphasized the importance of rally leadership, troop allocation, and choosing the right configuration for the objective.
Do not treat a rally as an excuse to send random troops.
A coordinated alliance should consider:
Rally leader attributes
Troop composition
Reinforcing troops
Capacity
Target counters
Formation
Timing
Member roles
A properly coordinated rally can accomplish far more than several disconnected solo attacks.
More troops are not automatically better.
If an alliance rally has limited capacity, filling valuable space with troops that contribute very little can reduce the quality of the overall force.
Follow your rally leader's instructions.
Experienced alliances may request:
Specific troop types
Specific troop tiers
Specific quantities
No low-level troops
Specific reinforcing roles
The strongest rally is coordinated, not simply full.
The strongest attacking march is not necessarily the strongest defensive setup.
Defense can involve:
Larger troop pools
Reinforcements
Hospital capacity
Defensive hero bonuses
Defensive Arrays
Castle-related bonuses
Multiple troop categories
Official Clash of Kings strategy guidance has historically recommended switching toward defensive configurations when holding important structures and coordinating troop proportions among defenders.
If your account primarily fights defensively, consider defensive damage reduction, HP, and survivability alongside raw Attack.
A large army is only useful if you can recover from combat.
Longstanding troop documentation explains that units lost while defending can become wounded when sufficient hospital capacity exists.
If hospital capacity is exceeded, losses can become considerably more painful.
Before entering serious combat:
Check hospital space
Check healing resources
Understand potential casualties
Avoid unnecessary overextension
A player who can efficiently recover troops can remain combat-ready much longer.
Training troops raises your account Power.
That does not mean every troop produces equal battlefield value.
Combat strength comes from the quality of the complete build:
Troop Tier + Soldier Progression + Hero + Research + Equipment + Arrays + Dragon + Formation
An army of enormous Power can still perform poorly when these systems conflict.
Your combat hero should reinforce your military plan.
This became especially important after Clash of Kings redesigned several heroes around specific soldier specializations.
Do not build:
A cavalry-focused hero
Archer-heavy equipment
Infantry Soldier Progression
Siege-focused Arrays
and expect the account to perform efficiently.
Every major system should ideally push your primary march in the same direction.
Military research provides another major source of combat statistics.
Players often waste resources by increasing every available troop bonus evenly.
Instead, prioritize technologies that strengthen the soldiers forming your core army.
If you are an infantry specialist, infantry improvements deserve more attention.
If you primarily fight with cavalry, cavalry research should reflect that.
Broader military improvements still matter, but specialization should be visible throughout the account.
Players naturally notice Attack first.
However, the new Soldier Progression system deliberately improves all three basic statistics:
Attack
Defense
HP
This is important.
A troop that deals more damage but dies too quickly may produce worse overall results.
Think about what the unit is designed to do.
For frontline troops, survivability may be particularly valuable.
For primary damage troops, offensive bonuses become more important once sufficient protection exists.
Strong combat usually comes from preparation rather than simply pressing Attack.
Keep these principles in mind:
Choose a primary troop specialization.
Match your hero to that troop type.
Research statistics that support your main army.
Use Soldier Progression on troops you actually fight with.
Spend Talent Plaques carefully.
Match Arrays to your primary and secondary troop attributes.
Protect fragile damage troops with an appropriate frontline when needed.
Scout opponents before attacking.
Check battle reports after important fights.
Do not fill marches purely for maximum troop count.
Coordinate rally composition with your alliance.
Maintain enough hospital capacity before serious PvP.
Adjust formations instead of blindly repeating losing attacks.
Avoid spreading premium troop materials across every soldier type.
Build combat synergy rather than chasing Power.
A bigger Power number does not guarantee a stronger fighting army.
Build troops that serve your actual military strategy.
Soldier Progression materials are much more valuable when invested into the troop categories you consistently use.
Exclusive Soldier skills can provide significant battle effects. They should be considered part of your long-term troop build.
Their heroes, research, Arrays, dragons, equipment, and Soldier Progression may be completely different from yours.
Enemy armies vary.
Troop countering has been explicitly emphasized in official Clash of Kings strategy guidance.
Damage troops cannot help you if they are exposed and eliminated too quickly.
Follow the rally leader's troop requirements.
Limited rally capacity should be filled efficiently.
The modern Battle Report system gives clearer attribute comparisons specifically to help players understand combat differences.
A mixed formation needs a purpose.
Randomly adding every troop category often creates less synergy than a deliberately specialized army.
Troops are only one part of combat strength.
Your entire account needs to support them.
New players should avoid trying to build four perfect military branches simultaneously.
First establish enough troops for:
Gathering
Monsters
Normal alliance activity
Basic defense
Progression
Then gradually identify your strongest troop specialization.
Look at:
Which heroes you have
Which hero can realistically be upgraded
Your current research
Available equipment
Soldier Progression resources
Civilization bonuses
Once a clear direction appears, begin concentrating your best resources there.
Established accounts should optimize instead of simply adding more troops.
Review:
Which troop produces your best combat results
Soldier Progression levels
Exclusive Soldier skills
Hero specialization
Array set bonuses
Equipment statistics
Research
Dragon bonuses
Battle Report comparisons
If one system does not support your primary army, it may represent the next major upgrade opportunity.
The major military branches are infantry, cavalry, archers or ranged troops, and siege/chariot-style units.
There is no universal best troop. The strongest choice depends on your hero, research, equipment, Soldier Progression, Arrays, dragons, and enemy composition.
Not necessarily. Specializing your account around one primary troop type can be very effective, but actual marches may still benefit from frontline or supporting units depending on your build.
Soldier Progression is a combat-development system accessed through Training Buildings → Soldier Upgrade. It allows specific soldiers to improve Basic Attack, Basic Defense, Basic HP, and exclusive Soldier skills.
Training Plaques increase a soldier type's attribute level, boosting its Basic Attack, Basic Defense, and Basic HP.
Talent Plaques unlock exclusive Soldier skills. Additional plaques can increase those skills' trigger chance and damage.
There is no fixed universal formation. Strong setups usually specialize around one major troop category while adding support units where necessary. Your formation should reflect your current hero, research, equipment, Arrays, and Soldier Progression.
The Array system can strengthen troop-specific attributes. Official Clash of Kings documentation describes an eight-position setup with set attributes activated by matching 2, 4, 6, or 8 pieces associated with the same unit category.
Lower troops can have practical uses, but producing enormous quantities purely for Power is rarely an efficient long-term strategy. Prioritize troops that contribute meaningfully to your gathering, defense, rallies, and primary combat march.
Study the Battle Report. The August 2026 improvements provide clearer progression and attribute comparisons, including red and green indicators showing where statistics are lower or higher.
Yes. Official Clash of Kings strategy material has specifically recommended targeted troop countering against difficult enemy compositions.
Building the best army in Clash of Kings is not about discovering one magical unit or copying one formation from another player.
It is about specialization and synergy.
Choose the troop category that your account can support most effectively. Develop the matching hero. Research the correct military technologies. Equip relevant Arrays and equipment. Improve those soldiers through Training Plaques and carefully invest Talent Plaques into exclusive Soldier skills.
Then use actual battle reports to improve the formation.
The August 2026 Soldier Progression system makes troop specialization more important than ever because individual soldier types can now gain stronger Basic Attack, Basic Defense, Basic HP, and exclusive combat skills.
A well-built Clash of Kings army therefore combines:
The right troops + the right hero + the right formation + the right permanent bonuses.
Build those systems around the same military goal, adapt to enemy compositions, and your army will become much more effective than one built simply to maximize displayed Power.
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