Make Side Barracks the persistent army core, add Front Barracks for a timed cavalry charge, and use Top Mortar while units close the gap. Choose unit count and damage deliberately: an army behind your castle cannot help against an enemy you have already driven past.
Build notes In 0.9.14, allied units are immune to fire, stun and knockback; the castle still needs a safe route. 0.9.9 fixed Front Barracks diminishing-damage upgrades, strengthened its active, and made allied melee units move faster toward targets. Positioning still matters: give them a reachable target before launching another charge.
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.
Side BarracksCore · sideSpawns the regular army; the active creates extra troops and buffs them.
Upgrade tree →
Front BarracksCore · frontAdds biker knights and a cavalry-charge active for a target the army can reach.
Upgrade tree →
Top MortarOptional support · topPressures the area behind the castle while troops pursue enemies following you.
Upgrade tree →Captain and crew
- Army captain: Empress. Spawns more friendly units at the cost of driving speed. Start turning and escaping earlier than with a neutral captain.
- Movement-friendly alternative: Norbert The Normal. Use while learning to keep the army engaged without accepting Empress’s speed penalty.
- Recovery crew: Carpenters. Helps between engagements. Your units do not prevent every projectile or collision.
What to unlock first
Start with Side Barracks. Reaching Side Barracks upgrade level 10 unlocks the Front Barracks task, followed by its purchase. Until then, play the Side Barracks army and use an available support module rather than assuming cavalry is already available.
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: More Perman Units | Increases the permanent following force: the foundation of this persistent-army plan. | Unit Speed is the alternative if units spend too much time chasing instead of hitting. |
| Next special: Unit Damage | Develops the regular army once it can stay on target. | Slowing Attacks is the control alternative, especially if targets keep leaving melee range. |
| Army branch: Giants | Choose the giant-spawning branch to continue the melee army direction. | Mages is a separate summon variant. Do not assume melee-only bonuses apply to that variant. |
| Cavalry support: Additional Units | Adds riders after the persistent army is working. | Unit Speed is the alternative when the charge struggles to reach its target. |
| Late charge: Execute | Use the active against a weakened target to make its low-health execute role useful. | More Charges is the alternative for additional active uses. Plan one legendary direction, not both. |
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.
Running Shoes
Key army mobilityFriendly units accelerate when you boost. Use short, useful relocations that bring the army into combat, while preserving escape fuel.
Work Contract
Extra recruitsConsumed farmers can become allied sheepriders. Recruit along safe routes; conversions are not guaranteed.
Sides Hourglass
Core active supportSupports the side-slot Barracks cooldown. It does not speed the front-slot cavalry active.
Front Hourglass
Cavalry active supportChoose when Front Barracks is carrying the next encounters and you need its charge more often.
Build order: opening, middle and finishing picks
- Opening: build the Side Barracks army, recruit on safe routes and keep enemies near enough for troops to connect. Correct movement problems before adding more units.
- Middle: choose More Perman Units and then Unit Damage for the army plan, or take the speed/control alternatives when targets escape. Add Front Barracks after its unlock.
- Finishing: choose Giants for the melee army direction. Use the cavalry active as a burst or execute against a reachable target, with Top Mortar as secondary rear coverage.
The combat rotation
- Approach with space to turn and let the existing army close on a reachable enemy.
- Use Side Barracks to reinforce and buff the engagement.
- Use the Front Barracks charge when the target is committed; save an Execute charge for a weakened target.
- Move in a broad curve so the army remains engaged. Use a useful boost to accelerate allies with Running Shoes, then reset before the castle gets surrounded.
How to play the boss fight
Keep the boss within reach of the army instead of circling far outside it. Trigger the charge after the boss commits to a route, and use the execute branch late in its health bar. With Empress, start an escape early; having more allies does not remove the castle’s speed penalty or make it safe to absorb boss attacks.
If a key piece is missing
No Front Barracks: continue the Side Barracks build and work toward its level-10 unlock requirement. No Empress: use the neutral captain and a smaller force. No Running Shoes: keep turns shorter and give the army time to catch up. If selecting Mages, evaluate that unit type rather than carrying over a melee damage assumption.
Do not break the build this way
Front Barracks conflicts with Ram in the front slot; Side Barracks conflicts with Cannon and Side Ballista in the side slot. More units will not fix a route that constantly leaves the army behind.