Return to the glory days of turn-based strategy games with Wargroove, a retro war game inspired by the Advanced Wars series. We haven’t seen one of those games in a very long time, so if you’re a fan of those types of games (like I absolutely am) you might need to recalibrate your brain to become a tactical genius on the field. Wargroove isn’t just a copy either — it adds a lot of new units and exciting mechanics that change the way you’ll handle any situation.
I’ve played for many, many hours, and here are 11 tips I’ve learned from my hard-fought experiences. Wargroove can be a very tricky game, especially once you’ve unlocked an entire army’s worth of units and need to juggle land, air, and sea combat. For now, we’re just talking about the basics — what you need to know, and how you can crush just about any opponent with enough effort.
Your Commander Is A Tank, But Don’t Overestimate Them
Your commander is the toughest unit on the battlefield. They can soak up a lot of damage, and they can wreck most opponents, too. Even better, commanders heal 5% health every turn — it doesn’t sound like much, but in later missions, that little bit of health gain can seriously help.
Just don’t leave your commander too vulnerable. Don’t send a commander into the fray alone or they can get destroyed. If your commander is defeated, that’s an instant game over. The best way to use a commander is to let them lead the charge. Use the commander to draw enemy fire so your more fragile units can swoop in for the kill.
You’ll also want to get some kill with your commander to charge their “Groove” — a super ability that charges up after 2-3 enemy defeats. These abilities are all incredibly powerful. They range from healing, to summoning units like a portable barracks, to constructing defense-boosting crystals.
Check Your Enemy’s Attack Range Before Moving
One of the most basic strategies in Wargroove, and an incredibly important bit of information. Select an enemy unit, and you’ll see their movement / attack range. In Wargroove, it’s almost never a good idea to tank hits, unless you have cannon fodder and support. You should always want to attack first, and only sacrifice cannon fodder to protect your best units. Always check the enemy’s movement range, and let them come to you.
Capture Everything ASAP For The Most Gold
Capturing villages is the only way you’ll earn gold, and gold is what funds your army. You’ll need a steady supply, so the first objective of any mission is to capture as many villages as possible. It’s worth it to build cannon fodder soldiers (100 Gold) and send them to grab out-of-the-way villages, even while you’re busy engaging a large force somewhere else.
Even better, then enemy loves to attack villages. They’ll get distracted by villages, and will often attack them instead of your units. Villages gain 10% health every turn, and villages can be used to reinforce your troops — healing them if they’ve taken losses in exchange for village HP / coins.
Wagons Are Incredibly Useful | Transporting & Blocking
Wagons are one of the most useful units in the game. It makes sense to construct a wagon very early in most battles — not only can they ferry troops from your starting base to the front lines fast, they can also serve as a useful blocking unit. Wagons are very fast, and if they take damage, they don’t lost functionality like other units. Even a damaged wagon can move fast and transport troops.
Wagons can turn a slow-moving army into a crazy-fast capturing force. Send your Commander straight to far-off Barracks for a quick capture to immediately gain ground on an opponent. You can even send a sneak-attack force of Spearmen straight to an enemy Stronghold for a powerful critical attack.
Every Unit Has A Strength, Weakness & Critical
I keep talking about critical attacks — let me explain. Critical attacks are special, enhanced-damage attacks that every single unit can pull off. Each unit must fulfill specific requirements to unleash their upgraded attacks. For example, Cavalry must attack units 6 spaces away. Infantry need to be adjacent to a Commander. Spearmen need to be adjacent to another Spearmen unit. Trebuchets need to attack from maximum range. Every unit has a deadly critical attack, and it’s up to you to learn them.
Forests & Mountains Are Good For Defense, But The Bonus Shrinks
Moving into certain tiles will increase or decrease your defense. Water will lower your defense by -2 (-20%) while mountains increase defense by +4 (+40%). Mountains are difficult to move through, but provide excellent defense for your units. The problem is, the weaker your units are, the less defensive bonus you will get. If your unit is sitting at 40% or lower on their health, they’ll register a much lower benefit from forest or mountain defense.
Attacks Are Only Slightly Randomized | 5% Shift
Here’s something the game really doesn’t explain. All attacks are slightly randomized. Before attacking an enemy unit, you’ll see how much damage you’re projected to inflict on the enemy. This number is pretty accurate, but it is slightly randomized; the number can shift either up or down.
For example, if you’re going to do 65% damage to a target — the actual damage you inflict might be as low as 60%, or as high as 70%. It’s a small difference that can change everything in battle.
Dogs Are Useful Scouts — They Can See Through Trees!
Dogs aren’t just cute, they’re useful scouts. In an early mission, you’re told to use scouts to see through the fog. This isn’t exactly accurate. Dogs and other characters have very similar sightlines — but, dogs have one advantage over any other unit in foggy maps. Dogs can “see” through trees, spotting enemies hiding in the forest.
Dogs are also pretty darn useful against any foot-based enemies. Soldiers, spearmen, archers, and more are pretty vulnerable to a dog’s bite. And dogs work better when they’ve got enemies surrounded by more dogs.
Protect Your Core Units | Cavalry, Mages, Trebuchets & More
Some units are completely expendable. You’ll quickly learn the Spearmen, Infantry, and more cheap, easy-to-produce troops aren’t actually going to win any battles. No, you need units that give you a tactical advantage in combat. These are your “core” units, the most useful units that will help you actually win a fight. The trick is to use these units wisely, prepare their critical attacks, and deliver the knockout blow. Use cannon fodder units to shield these units!
- Core Units Include:
- Commander
- Archers
- Cavalry
- Mages
- Trebuchets
- Ballista
- Aeronauts
The core units are the most important units in your army. Inevitably, these units will get defeated, but they’re the real movers-and-shakers when it comes to victory.
Cavalry Can Rampage Through Towns | 6 Move Critical
Cavalry make breaching enemy lines easy. While Cavalry can’t actually capture villages, they can prepare villages to be captured, harass your opponent, and deny them those important villages solo. If your Cavalry can unleash their 6-move critical on villages, you’ll take them down in a single move. This takes some setup — you’ll need to plan your cavalry’s attack and measure the tiles. Do it properly, and you can take down villages without a counterattack.
Even better, knights can seriously damage enemy strongholds with this strategy. It won’t destroy them, but it can hurt them, and prepare them for a more serious destruction plan.
Trebuchets At Crit Range Are A Winning Move
Trebuchets are game-winning units. The AI is terrified of entering trebuchet range, and a well-planned push with trebuchets in support can absolutely devastate the enemy. Even giant golems don’t stand a chance. Trebuchets, at the right range, can also destroy villages and strongholds — you’ll want to fire on a stronghold from maximum range, and you’ll be able to destroy it in two turns flat. That ends the game, and gives you a victory.
Trebuchets should be the winning pocket in your hand. Move them forward, prepare to strike, and smash enemies. They need plenty of protection, but they’re impossibly useful. A single trebuchet can hold off multiple cannon fodder enemies. It’s the lynchpin of most battle strategies, and isn’t as expensive as other, totally niche units like the Golem or Dragon.
That’s all the best tips we’ve discovered so far. Go tips of your own? Let us know!
