Start with Companion and improve its automatic hammer attacks. Empress increases friendly unit spawns but slows the castle, so keep the fight within reach of your companions and turn out before enemies surround you. Add Side Barracks and Front Barracks after the hammer core is working.
Build notes In 0.9.14, allied units are immune to fire, stun and knockback. The 0.9.9 update made allied melee units move faster toward targets. This helps the approach, but it does not remove Empress’s 30% speed penalty or make the castle safe while companions fight elsewhere.
Wanderburg build list: compare all 9 loadouts →Complete loadout and each piece’s job
Keep the core pieces first. Add support only when your vehicle offers the matching slot; crew and captain are separate selections.
CompanionCore · backA hammer companion follows the castle and attacks nearby enemies. Its active sends the companion on a rampage; develop its automatic attack before spreading upgrades across the army.
Upgrade tree →
Side BarracksSupport · sideAdds a regular following force and an active reinforcement. Upgrade it after Companion has reliable damage and coverage.
Upgrade tree →
Front BarracksSupport · frontAdds cavalry for a reachable target. Save the charge for a committed boss or a gap in the hammer coverage.
Upgrade tree →Captain and crew
- More summons: Empress. Spawns 100% more friendly units at the cost of 30% speed. Begin escaping early and avoid narrow routes that require a last-second turn.
- Simpler movement: Norbert The Normal. Use the neutral captain while learning how close to keep the hammer companion to each fight.
- Recovery: Carpenters. Repairs help between encounters. Leave room to recover instead of relying on summoned units to absorb every hit.
What to unlock first
Destroy 120 walking enemies overall to unlock Companion, then budget 2,500 Silver for its purchase. Front Barracks follows the Side Barracks level-10 unlock task and a separate purchase. Use a vehicle with back, side and front slots; Spiderburg has no side slot, so omit Side Barracks if adapting the core to that vehicle.
Key upgrades: what to pick and why
Use this as the direction for your draft. The alternatives below are choices to compare, not extra cards that must all fit into the same branch. Open a card for its exact target and tier details.
| Pick priority | Why it matters | When to choose the alternative |
|---|---|---|
| First special: After Explosion | Adds an explosion after the companion’s automatic attacks. It develops the hammer attack that is carrying the build. | Collect Coins is the utility alternative; it does not provide the explosion damage. |
| Next special: Frost Field | Automatic attacks create a slowing field. Pick it when controlling susceptible targets helps keep them within hammer range. | Execute is the alternative for finishing low-health targets. Choose one route for this special choice. |
| Legendary: Ranged Attacks | Adds ranged attacks so the companion can contribute beyond its hammer swings. | Stun Effect is the other legendary branch. Choose control when susceptible targets are the problem; do not count on equipping both. |
| Later support: More Perman Units | Builds the supporting army once Companion is doing enough damage. | Choose Unit Speed when regular troops cannot stay in range instead of adding more trailing units. |
| Later cavalry: Additional Units | Adds riders to the front charge after the primary hammer upgrades. | Unit Speed helps a charge reach its target; a larger force that never connects is not an improvement. |
Artifacts that make this build work better
The module core works before the full artifact package appears. Take a useful replacement when the named artifact is missing.
Back Hourglass
Companion active supportTargets the back slot. Take it when more frequent rampages help the encounters you are facing.
Frost Orb
After Frost FieldSlowed enemies take more damage. Add it after obtaining a reliable slow; it contributes no slow of its own.
Running Shoes
Ally movementBoosting accelerates friendly units. Use a short relocation to bring the army into the next fight, then preserve fuel for your own exit.
Work Contract
Optional extra recruitsConsumed farmers can become allied sheepriders. Recruit on a safe route without delaying the Companion core.
Build order: opening, middle and finishing picks
- Opening: equip Companion, improve automatic damage and attack timing, and keep the first enemies within reach. Use rampage on a worthwhile target rather than while the companion is still travelling.
- Middle: take After Explosion. Choose Frost Field for control or Execute for finishing damage, then add Barracks when available. Keep investing in the hammer engine before developing every summon equally.
- Finishing: choose Ranged Attacks or Stun Effect as your legendary direction. Add an artifact that matches the chosen trigger, then fix movement and recovery before buying more luxury damage.
The combat rotation
- Approach a reachable target with an open turn behind you.
- Let the companions close the gap, then activate their rampage.
- Reinforce with Side Barracks or use the front cavalry charge while the target is engaged.
- Circle close enough for the army to keep attacking, then leave before the castle becomes trapped. Recover and regroup before the next engagement.
How to play the boss fight
Keep the boss within the companions’ reach without parking the castle against it. Time rampage after the boss commits to a direction. Frost Field and Stun Effect only help targets susceptible to those effects; against immune enemies, rely on direct attacks and a safer route. The extra summons are damage sources, not a guarantee that incoming attacks will miss the castle.
If a key piece is missing
No Companion yet: use the Barracks Army build while completing the walking-enemy objective. No Empress: learn the core with Norbert. No Frost Field: skip Frost Orb unless another equipped attack supplies a reliable slow. Add support modules gradually as their slots and unlocks become available.
Do not break the build this way
Companion, Turret Layer, Mine Layer and Dash compete for a back slot. Do not add them all to this loadout. Do not assume a melee-only bonus also buffs the ranged attacks added by a legendary upgrade.