A how-to-play guide detailing a few ideas and techniques required to excel in Region VS Region (RvR) kill events for defenders.
Overview
A lot of work has gone into creating content that greatly benefits defenders/traps on this platform. This article highlights some of the most important ideas and applications with respect to RvR Kill events in particular. Defenders arguably outnumber Attackers in any given region in the game. As a result, defense plays a major role in the general fun of kill events. In this guide, we shall discuss and give theoretical names to certain vital skills and techniques which when implemented properly give a defender an edge towards scoring high marks in RvRs.
More often than not, defenders fall into the lower and mid-level spend budget bracket, not necessarily needing to spend as much or as quickly as attackers to excel in their chosen playstyle. This, however, means that added care and effort must be made by defenders in order to keep up with the constant threat of lurking bigs. There are many ideas that can be applied in defense to improve scoring during kill events, we shall separate these into three main categories, RvR Prep, Main Event, and Recovery, much similar to an attackers perspective as defense is the inverse of attack but with much different subcategories, styles, and techniques.
RvR Prep
Due to the fact that most defenders fall into the mid and low level spend budget bracket the Prep phase of every kill event is absolutely vital. The general idea to consider as a defender during prep is to make your base as prepared and strong as possible while looking as weak as possible from the outside in order to attract hits from attackers and win while losing as few troops as possible, preferably only to the hospital. This is often a tricky skill to pull off successfully but it is one that can be and should be done to maximize point return during kill events. We can break down an ideal defender’s prep into a few sub-classes.
In-game prep events
Usually, 24 hours before a RvR event takes place, in-game prep events occur. Prizes from completing these events such as Region VS Region ports and other materials afford low budget players the ability to spend less and still play as long as all events are taken full advantage of.
Hero Check
Here we factor in making sure that the heroes to be utilized are properly skilled with specific gear presets made and labeled. Attackers often check what hero/gear are active on a defenders base before initiating an attack so having a “bait” gear preset and/or hero ready which don’t show preparedness towards active defending helps a lot.
Having a raid boss/syndicate gear setup, for example, is a decent way to implement this especially if a kill event is coming right after a raid boss event or if the defender intends to park next to a syndicate. Outdated defense gear and heroes also work, making the defender appear to be behind on updates and “weak” in nature. An up to par hero/gear preset selection must also be made to be swapped into if needed. While the heroes and gear can be easily spotted, emblems however cannot. It is important to make sure that the best emblems are affixed to gear equipment to boost their performance.
Controlled Test Runs
As a defense-oriented player, testing is just as important as it is for attackers. Knowing the limits of your base is vital and all Super MASH events where the troop hospital capacity is greatly increased must be taken full advantage of. Testing should be conducted with trusted allies and specifically with attack specialists who are at the top of their game in order to find out possible outcomes of the hardest hits and make adjustments and changes if necessary.
Base/Boost Prep
Manufacturing serums that increase defense stats and preparing all required banners to come into play here. An important part of defending during kill events is having to heal troops from the hospital after getting attacked, making sure enough resources are open to enable quick healing when required is key. Double-checking the science academy and activating all the extra boosts on there helps as well.
Troop arrangement also matters a lot because what an attacker sees on a scout report largely determines whether or not they decide to send a march at a defending base. Structuring troop layouts with some low-level troops or wall traps to serve as meat shields/entice attacks is a useful skill and having a strong mercenary troop wall of defense which cannot be spotted in scout reports helps make this technique very efficient. The actual front line of defense in every base should consist of the troops with the highest health when boosted by themselves or other troops, Airborne Brigades boosted by Dragonflies for example even at low levels have a high health capacity and serve as a solid wall of defense.
At different stages of game advancement, different troops/mercs emerge as a better option when choosing the wall of defense and testing/studying reports go a long way in figuring out which one is best at any point in time. Squad skilling and selection are also vital in base prep as the goal of every defender during kill events is to kill all incoming troops from an attacker and score points. Squads with a high attack in defense are a preferred choice for many defenders in order to achieve this goal.
Main Event
Here we go, the main event kicks off! As a defender, you most likely will have to pick a spot to park your base long before a kill event begins and wait to be hit. Invaders usually access enemy regions with the coordinates of their control points and although parking in the war zone is usually a turn off to many attackers, situating your base or “hive” not so far away from it to make it instantly visible should guarantee a few scouts in the least. Let’s now discuss a few techniques to apply when the actual action begins.
Playing Dead
This technique works best when a defending base is parked in their home region. Attackers can always tell whether or not a base is at home thanks to the “Time left in the opposing region” boost which shows up in scout reports. Playing dead also means that a defender won’t be able to partake as much in any other way of playing RVR as you literally have to play idle/offline up until an attacker comes along and sends a march.
No clicking help or attacking syndicates, nothing that will increase power or show activity in any way. “Base Defending” timed boosts when activated also show up in scout reports and should be avoided here as well. The designated hero and gear alongside squad selection must be as enticing as possible. Defenders who utilize this technique will need to exercise an extra amount of patience until they achieve their goal which can either be an incoming point filled solo attack or rally, where if needed, necessary adjustments should be made in real-time a few moments before the attack lands.
Active Baiting
There are many ways to actively bait or lure attacks should a defender decide against playing dead. I will highlight a few here.
- Scoop up low-level heroes – Hitting little/dead bases and gathering a number of heroes in the prison draws attention to any defending base. Attackers will be tempted to attempt to set the captured heroes free by burning the defending base.
- Trolling Region Chats – Shit talking is an age-old technique utilized by many traps especially with the aim of riling up attackers and forcing their hand toward actually making a move. When utilizing this technique defenders must be careful to not make damaging statements that can be reported and lead to a customer service complaint resulting in punitive measures taken against them. Read the game’s Terms of Use to learn how to stay on the safe side of things.
- Hit syndicates in an opposing region – (Provided that points for this are included in the scoring system) Attackers usually like catching small players unbubbled off guard in wrong hero/gear.
- NO Antiscout – This point cannot be overemphasized as attackers generally avoid bases with this boost activated.
- Troop layering – Putting in lower-tier troops or wall traps but not a ton, with the sole purpose of looking weak and very burnable.
- Alliance preparedness – Informing your alliance not to show up to rein if they’re not requested for when a rally is set and if they do, to do it quickly from a distance. Many attackers cancel rallies when reinforcements port in immediately after it is set.
There are so many unique styles that can be implemented by a defender when actively baiting and networking amongst each other in defensive chats and conversations goes a long way in increasing knowledge and skill levels in this regard.
Point Hunting
Sometimes a defender has to take matters into their own hands during RvRs and actively hunt for their own points. Clearing as many resource tiles actively occupied by enemies in other regions surprisingly may prove effective and high point scoring troops/mercenaries may just be found hidden on tiles waiting to be killed. Asking to participate in rallies and filling correctly also benefits defense-oriented bases in scoring more points and tiering out in every given kill event.
Choose Your Attacker
There’s no shame in popping a bubble when a well known super destructive attacker is lurking. When unsure, use your skirt. It is important to know the upper limits of your base as a defense-oriented player and part of this involves knowing the bases of players who can surpass that upper limit and find a way to cause harm to your base during RvRs. The same methods attackers apply in looking out for and avoiding prolific defenders in kill events should be reciprocated by defenders who cannot handle extreme attacks due to their spend budget and base builds.
Recovery
Recovery for a defending base isn’t just as simple as rebuilding to a specific troop number like attackers, a ‘debrief’ of your base must be done. Where can you do better next time? You lost badly to that rally, why? Take the time after every kill event to study reports and see where improvements can be made.
I would like to thank two incredible defense experts who assisted in sourcing materials for this article on kill events and RvRs:
OG Aimee (O+G) Region #547, Basalt Badlands
Unburnable (2shy)/(ar15), Regions #s 297 Flint, 531 Steel
What’s Next?
Revisit some of the most popular defending guides published via the following links;
So You’re About To Be Attacked!
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