Kingshot Troop Setup Guide: Best Formations for Every Event

Sending the right mix of troops is just as important as picking the right heroes in Kingshot. In this guide, I’ll share some tips and troop setups that can help you build strong formations for different situations.

How Battles Work

Before talking about formations, let’s quickly go over how battles actually work. According to the official docs, Expedition Battles are turn-based: both sides attack simultaneously, damage is counted, then the next turn starts.

But in practice, it’s a bit different. Testing shows that Infantry always attack first, then Cavalry, then Archers. So it’s not all troop types hitting at once—it goes in order by type.

You can see this clearly in the Vikings Vengeance event. Since Viking troops have low HP, your Infantry usually wipe them out in the first few waves before your Cavalry or Archers even get to attack. At higher levels, Cavalry and then Archers start getting some kills.

This is why Infantry are so important. They’re your first line of defense and attack. If you don’t have enough Infantry—or if their stats are weak—your Cavalry and Archers (who are your main damage dealers) will die too quickly.

Infantry have high HP, Cavalry hit harder, and Archers deal the most damage overall. But your damage dealers need time to work, and Infantry give them that time.

The Go-To Formations

The most common and reliable formation in the game is 50% Infantry, 20% Cavalry, 30% Archers (50:20:30). If you’re unsure what to use, just go with that.

For defense or garrison, 60:20:20 usually works best.

In PvP, things are trickier. It’s always better to scout the enemy first and adjust your formation. For example, if the enemy has lots of Infantry, you can send more Archers since Archers deal bonus damage against Infantry. Just remember the basic counter system:

• Infantry > Cavalry
• Cavalry > Archers
• Archers > Infantry

Keep this in mind when setting up a custom formation for PvP.

Don’t Skip Any Troop Type

One more important rule: always send at least 5% of each troop type. Why? Because when you attack or rally, you bring 3 heroes—one Infantry, one Cavalry, and one Archer. Each hero gives big Attack and Defense boosts to their troop type. If you don’t bring a troop type, you waste that bonus.

For example, in the Bear Hunt event, players who send 100% Archers often do less damage than players who send 80% Archers but keep at least 10% Infantry and 10% Cavalry.

Recommended Formations

These are the best setups for different events:

• Bear Hunt → 10% Infantry, 10% Cavalry, 80% Archers
• Alliance Championship → 50% Infantry, 20% Cavalry, 30% Archers
• Swordland Showdown → 50% Infantry, 20% Cavalry, 30% Archers
• PvP Battles → 50% Infantry, 20% Cavalry, 30% Archers
• Rallies (Terrors, Desert Trial, Cesare’s Fury) → 50% Infantry, 20% Cavalry, 30% Archers
• Defense/Garrison → 60% Infantry, 20% Cavalry, 20% Archers

The 50:20:30 setup works really well up until Gen 3, but this might change once newer heroes come with stronger troop-specific skills. When that happens, these recommendations might need updating.