A Comprehensive Guide
In the vast expanse of Atlas, castles stand as bastions of power and influence. These fortified strongholds hold immense strategic value, serving as hubs for resource gathering, troop training, and defensive maneuvers. A crucial component of every castle’s defense is the formidable shield, an invisible barrier that wards off attackers and grants precious time for defenders to regroup and strategize.
Understanding Shield States
A castle shield’s status can fluctuate between three distinct states: triggered, activated, and deactivated. The shield can be toggled on and off by a governor, marshal, leader, or officer. This ensures that only authorized personnel can make the decision to deactivate the shield, minimizing the risk of accidental or unauthorized deactivation. Additionally, these individuals are likely to have a deep understanding of the team’s defensive capabilities and the potential threats they face, making them well-equipped to make informed decisions about shield activation.
Triggered State:
When the shield is in the triggered state, it is actively engaged and effectively repelling all incoming attacks. This state is characterized by the visible purple dome that encapsulates the castle on the map. The shield enters the triggered state under two primary conditions:
- Event Shields: During certain in-game events, event shields automatically activate across all castles, regardless of their fort level or previous shield status. This is a great time to do a shield cooldown!
- Troop Loss Threshold: When the cumulative troop losses sustained by the castle’s defenders reach a specific threshold determined by the fort level, the shield transitions into the triggered state.
Activated State:
The activated state represents the shield’s default condition. In this state, the shield is prepared to engage once the activation criteria are met. More details below.
Deactivated State:
In the deactivated state, the shield is effectively dormant and incapable of providing any defensive benefits. However, there are some cases where it may be beneficial to deactivate the shield, such as when defending against snipers or raids where you have a sufficient defensive response. Defenders should always weigh the risks and benefits carefully before deactivating the shield.
Activating the Castle Shield
The castle shield’s activation is triggered by a specific threshold of casualties, determined by the castle’s fort level. This means that the higher the fort level, the more casualties are required to activate the shield. This mechanism encourages players to invest in fort upgrades to enhance the castle’s resilience.
If an attack ends without triggering the shield, the shield’s health will regenerate back to 100% within 24 hours of the last attack. This ensures that the shield is always ready to protect the castle from future attacks.
Here’s an example of how the castle shield regeneration works:
- If a castle is attacked at 12:00 PM and the shield is not triggered, the shield will start regenerating back to 100% at that time.
- The shield will be fully regenerated at 12:00 PM the next day, even if no further attacks occur.
This regeneration mechanism ensures that the castle shield is always available to protect the castle, even if there are periods of inactivity.
Shield Duration and Cooldown Period
Once activated, the castle shield remains impervious to attacks for a set duration, also influenced by the fort level. Higher fort levels grant longer shield durations, providing defenders with a more extended window to prepare for the next wave of assaults. However, after the shield’s duration expires, the castle enters a cooldown period, during which it becomes vulnerable to attacks. The cooldown period’s length is also determined by the castle level, ensuring that defenders have ample time to reactivate the shield before the castle becomes defenseless again. The cooldown timer begins to count down only after the shield is activated (toggled “on”).
| Castle Level | Shield Duration | Shield Cooldown |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | 24 hrs | 3 hrs |
| 3 | 12 hrs | 6 hrs |
| 4 | 8 hrs | 9 hrs |
| 5 | 6 hrs | 12 hrs |
Fort Level and Shield Threshold
To better understand the relationship between fort level and shield threshold, refer to the following table: Fort Level and Shield Threshold: 50,000 Troops + (10,000 x Fort Level) = Final Shield Threshold
| Fort Level | Shield Threshold |
|---|---|
| 1 | 60,000 |
| 2 | 70,000 |
| 3 | 80,000 |
| 4 | 90,000 |
| 5 | 100,000 |
| 6 | 120,000 |
| 7 | 130,000 |
| 8 | 140,000 |
Strategic Utilization
Effective utilization of the castle shield requires a keen understanding of its activation trigger, duration, and cooldown period. Defenders must carefully balance the shield’s usage with their overall defensive strategy, ensuring that they have ample time to reactivate the shield before the castle becomes vulnerable.