Getting started
Starting a first game
From the menu, two paths are recommended for beginners:
- The guided training: a solo game on the Black Sea against three easy nations. A guide walks you through your first conquests, your first buildings, the map objectives and your first missile, then asks you to defeat the nations.
- A solo game: pick the map, the difficulty and the number of opponents, at your own pace (pause and game speed are available in solo).
You can play without an account. An account is needed for Ranked, clans, and to keep your statistics.
Choosing your starting spot
At the start of the game, click a free area of the map to place your country: this is the placement phase. A few tips:
- A coastline opens up boats, ports and sea trade.
- Avoid placing right next to another player: a minimum distance between players is enforced at the start.
- Lots of free land around you means easy growth early on.
The first minutes
- Expand into the free land around you (click the free ground or use the radial menu). Each attack sends part of your troops: let them regrow between attacks.
- Build a city as soon as you have the gold: it raises your maximum troops.
- Place a port if you have a coast, and a factory: they earn gold.
- Watch your borders: a stronger neighbour will attack. Keep troops where it hits.
- Offer an alliance to a neighbour to calm a border (see Alliances, peace and betrayal).
How to win
In classic games you must own 80% of the land. When a game drags on, that threshold slowly drops, then a final phase arrives: see End of the game. Each mode has its own victory rules: Game modes.
What next
- Learn the screen: Interface.
- Understand fights: Troops and attacks.
- The keys: Keyboard shortcuts.