Raiding Overworld Settlements and rival Dungeons can be done to obtain Resources. Raiding elven Settlements generates Hate.
Raiding Basics[]
Starting a Raid[]
The first step towards initializing a Raid is to choose a Target; whether it is another Overlord's Dungeon or an Elven Settlement. Once a Target is selected, the Raiding Screen opens to give the Overlord some basic options before launching a Raid:
- From Dungeon: Select which Dungeon to Raid from. Selecting a Dungeon pulls up a list of available Creatures.
- Raid/Pillage/Spy/Conquest Radio Buttons: This changes the attack type and is only available against other Overlords. If an Elven Settlement is chosen, these radio buttons are replaced by the Leather Boost store option.
- Objective: Select which Room to target when attacking another Overlord. This drop-down list is disabled if an Elven Settlement has been selected.
- Available Creature List: Located directly below the From Dungeon drop-down list, all currently available Creatures from the selected Dungeon are will be listed here. They can be assigned and unassigned to the current attack using the left and right arrow buttons.
- Attacking Creatures List: Located directly below the Objective drop-down list, Creatures that have been assigned to this attack will be listed here. Creatures can be added or removed from this attack by using the left and right arrows.
- Stop Watch Button: Adds a 5 round delay to an attack for each click. This allows Creatures to enter the battle in Waves which provides an extra strategic level to attacks.
- Number of Times to Raid: Select how many times to attack a target with this attack group. The limit is based on your player level. View the Leveling Rewards to determine when you will get additional Repeat Raids.
- Halt Upon Death: Select whether an attack group should stop, or continue subsequent attacks, if a member of the attack dies.
Notice that Time Until Attack changes depending upon which Creatures are assigned to the attack group. This value will always reflect of the slowest assigned Creature's overworld movement speed.
Canceling a Raid[]
Raids may only be canceled while they are en route to the Target, and must be cancelled before the party reaches the half-way point. If a Raid is sent to a Elven Settlement, and the Settlement is Razed before the attack party arrives, the attack will be cancelled.
Maximum number of Raids[]
A maximum number of raids, per Dungeon, has been added. On Infernal Abyss this limit is raised based on Leveling Rewards.
Raid Results[]
Overlord Observations[]
- There is no totally safe Thief level as detectors have at least a 2% chance of detection, regardless of level difference. The "safe" Thief level is now whatever has the stats to solo the Settlement in combat.
- Stealthed units (Thieves, Ghosts) don't assist each other or join combat on offense unless detected.
Settlement Raid Reports[]
Many Overlords have chosen to share their Raiding experiences on the Raid Reports page. Please feel free to review their findings, or contribute your own.
PvP Dungeon Raiding[]
There are two basic types of Dungeon raids: Inactive Player Raids, and Active Player Raids. The first is typically fairly easy, while the second normally requires that a player has some advantage over the other player. This advantage can be in troop numbers or levels, in stealth, or in troop makeup. Inactive Player Raids, if chosen carefully, are relatively safe. Although, players will have to be aware of traps. This is different for Active Player Raids, unless you have a crushing power advantage.
Determining Active or Inactive Player Status[]
There are several ways to determine if a player is active or not. The following are methods other Overlords have used. Of course, if you notice a player has following their name, or when you view their Dungeon in Mountain View, and the skull symbol on their Dungeon is transparent, this means they have not logged into the game for an extended time. None of these methods are guaranteed, therefore, sending an expensive army to an unknown dungeon, is not recommended.
- Dungeon Name
- Existence/Timing of 2nd and/or 3rd Dungeon
- Nonresponsive to inbox messages
Dungeon Name: One way to make a potential assessment is to see if their Dungeon is still named "Dungeon Lair" after 2 days of starting. This is not a 100% reliable method of determining whether a player is active, but it's a fast way to guess.
2nd Dungeon: It is fairly easy for a player to take their 2nd Dungeon within a day of beginning the game. However, because many players will not devote a large time block to the game initially, it can often take two or more days for an active player to take his 2nd Dungeon. That, combined with other factors, can make this method unreliable. However, it can also be a good indicator.
Players have stated one caveat, and this applies even more to the 3rd Dungeon. Don't assume that the player does not have a 2nd/3rd Dungeon just because it isn't nearby. Many players will Survey much of their Region to find a good home. If you locate a player in the Overworld, and select their name, this will take you to their Player Profile. This will indicate the number of Dungeons they have, their player rank, alliance, and any medals they have achieved.
3rd Dungeon: A player who focuses on Inactive Player Raiding should keep in mind when they were able to take a 3rd Dungeon, relative to the fastest possible time. With this information, it should give a rough idea of when players may have have taken a 3rd Dungeon, although the potential variance in timing can be a week or more.
Inbox Messages: This works best if you've had prior communication with a player, but also can work in a general sense. Even something simple as "hello" will often get some sort of response. If a player sends no response after a day or two, he may be Inactive.
Inactive Player Raid Execution[]
These are all player suggestions and are not guaranteed[]
Once you have determined that a player is, most likely, Inactive, you should first raid their Vault with a Thief, some call this a "Poke". The level of the thief should be determined by the level of the player you are attacking. However, if a Level 1 Thief is available, to err on the side of minimal Resource loss, you can send him out. If that Thief returns, you will be able to view the Dungeon layout, and determine your next attack. If he dies on the mission, you may want to send in a higher level option. Assuming your "poke" succeeds, you will be able to see their Dungeon layout, whether their Creatures are hiding, and if not, the Creature levels, what Traps they have set, and the types of Rooms they have. It's a good idea to Raid the Vault, because that is the only room that is guaranteed to be in every Dungeon.
A Spy mission requires a single Thief, of any level. The Thief will enter, and make his way to the Vault, disabling any Traps along the way. If he makes it to the Vault, and back out of the Dungeon without being detected, he will return with full information on the Dungeon. Also, on a Spy mission, there is a possibility your target will never know you were there. That means, even if they are active, they will not know your plans to attack.
After a Raid or a detected Spy, if you believe the player is actually Active, and you do not with to participate in Active Player Raiding, you may want to send them an in-game Mail explaining the situation.
If decide to continue Raiding the Dungeon, you will want to Raid in a timely manner. As long as the Rooms where the Resources are generated aren't full, players will continue to generate Resources over time. Initially, you will want to Raid their storage, but once you empty those Rooms, there will be no way for them to refill because the Resources must first be collected.
Even if a player has been out of the game for a while, they may still return, and see you've been Raiding them. At that time, they may message you, build their defenses, or enlist help to retaliate. If you've begun regularly Raiding a Dungeon that has defending Creatures, you may wish to determine whether you can wipe out this player's forces with your army.
Active Player Raid Execution[]
Raiding a player you know to be active can be fun, beneficial, and even a little dangerous. Goblin Keeper is a PvP (Player-verse-Player) centered game. Choosing to form Alliances, truces, or other pacts is part of the game as well. However, attacking another player, who is near your Level, Power Level, and capabilities, is encouraged. Keep in mind, even if you have a clear power advantage over the target player, it's possible that he may know other people in the Region who are powerful. This could result in a major retaliation. Players also have been known to quit after being attacked. The game will soon have more PvP options as the development team is working on finishing the vision for PvP in Goblin Keeper.
If you're looking to get a certain Resource, you may want to try one poke followed by a pair of quick Raids. The idea of the poke is covered above in the section on Inactive Raiding. The Raids are launched simultaneously, and then the poke is launched so that it will arrive shortly before the Raids do. The Battle Report, and Battle playback of the poke, will give you a chance to cancel the Raids. You may choose to do this because the Thief in the poke unexpectedly dies, or because it scouts Creatures that are far more powerful than you expected. Sending out a Spy mission, rather than an actual poke Raid, can also be valuable.
One Raid may be aimed at the Resource storage room, while the other at the Mine. The timing for this is the very important, because your Raid may fail if your target sees it coming. It may work best, when attacking an Active Player, to determine when you believe they will be offline. A lot of work and finesse goes into choosing Targets and planning Raids, especially if the target Resource is of high value, and is stored in small amounts. When launching Raids against any storage Room, it's also important to take into consideration Safe Storage.
If your goal is retaliation instead, you will want to locate that players' Dungeons. The easiest way to do this, is to select "Locate Player" from the Battle Report Details. A poke may still be valuable in this situation. Before determining your plan of attack, it's important to note that you cannot Pillage from your Starter Dungeon, or to another player's Starter Dungeon. One strategy of retaliation involves Raiding everything not in Safe Storage and killing every Creature in the Dungeon. If you choose the Pillaging route, many players Pillage Library to reduce Research, Pillaging storage in the hope of taking out Safe Storage Furniture, then Raids to get the freed Resources, and pillaging the rest of the Dungeon, starting with whatever contains the most expensive Furniture. If the Creatures are on hide, Pillaging the Room where the bed is placed will cause those Creatures to go on Strike. Those options are very drastic, and could lead to an all out war.
Another strategy involves provoking the player into attacking your Raiding Dungeon, with strong defenses. This is beneficial if your intended target is too powerful for you to take. If you manage to kill a large Raiding party from your target, you may weaken the defenses enough to crack it with a counterattack. Traps can be your worst enemy, although you may be able to have your entire army follow a number of very high-level Thieves and end up having to deal with no Traps at all.
The extent and duration of your retaliation is up to you, but keep in mind that excessive raiding can be seen as griefing, especially if done to a player who is far less powerful than you are. There is nothing against Raiding a weaker player if they choose to attack you, but multiple Raids and/or Pillage attempts can cross the line between acceptable retaliation and griefing. If the target continues to provoke you, that will affect the situation, but all players make mistakes and deserve a second chance.