Forts and defense: how it works and the numbers

What it does

Brutes are tough and slow and are the only zombies that break walls. A kill zone, a garrison choke under overlapping towers, is how you stop them. Runners are fast and fragile, and traps are how you stop them. Shamblers are half a slot, arrive two at a time and use up traps. A maze, where they run out of time, is how you stop them.

Garrisons fight only the zombies they hold, which are Brutes and Shamblers. Runners pass garrisons untouched.

A trap bursts on the first zombie that steps on it, for 180 damage (Defense research raises it), and is spent for that fight. A swarm of Shamblers spends traps cheaply.

A side of your fort can be sealed with walls. Only Brutes can break in there, so an army with no Brutes can't enter a sealed side.

All your defense pieces (walls, towers, traps and garrisons together) share one limit that depends on the ring: 18 on a 7×7 ring up to 60 on a 13×13 ring. Economy buildings don't count. Walls rise in price like every other defense piece: each copy you own makes the next one 25% dearer, and removing a piece gives 50% of its price back.

Armies and caps count in slots. A Shambler is half a slot and a Runner or Brute is one.

After a failed attack, a hint says what beat you and which zombie would do better. It names a job, never a single exact answer.

The forts the game makes (the daily forts, the Horde King and bot villages) each have a theme with a readable weakness, such as a thin side or too few towers. Read the board, then bring the zombie that fits.

Defense limit by ring size

Tips

• Defend with a mix of jobs: a fort with only walls loses to Brutes, and one with only traps loses to Shamblers.
• Traps unlock on the 9×9 ring and garrisons on the 9×9 ring.
• Before an attack, look for the weakness: a thin side wants Runners, a long maze wants Brutes, and a trap lane wants Shamblers.

Questions