Every rival in Dot Conquest is a named general with a style of its own. A level's card tells you which generals you face, and the scoreboard shows them by name. Knowing how each one plays turns a guessing game into a plan.
Tiers
Each general comes at a tier, from I to III. At tier I, a general plays a simple style of its own. At tiers II and III it plays a sharper version: tier II thinks every couple of seconds and wants a clear edge before it attacks; tier III thinks faster, commits everything, and defends with everything. Later worlds and the Daily's harder cards bring higher tiers.
How each one plays
Brawler
Attacks sooner than anyone. The Brawler commits early and in full, and builds around cards that make veterans. Plays as the aggressor at tier I.
To beat him: be ready for an early hit. Take cities near your capital first, defend on good ground (forests and hills), and let him break on your land. Bastion and Homeland are made for him. Once his first push fails, he has little left; counter-attack.
Warden
Defends and waits. The Warden guards everything and attacks only with a big edge. Builds around land and staying power. Plays as the turtle at tier I.
To beat him: do not attack his strong points early. Out-expand him instead: take the neutral cities he leaves, wall in the land around them, and arrive at the siege phase bigger. Then use the siege phase, when his guarded cities become easy to take. See the siege phase.
Hive
Swarms. The Hive attacks with little margin and builds around swarm cards: many dots, fast.
To beat it: Heavies charge crowds of Lights, and Sieges shell crowds. Iron Legion is the natural answer, and defending on good ground lets its swarms break on you.
Surveyor
Spreads out. The Surveyor takes cities on thin edges and spreads its land wide, building around territory cards.
To beat it: its land is thin. Cut it: walk across the base of its long arms and wall them in. See flipping land by enclosure. Its scattered armies are easy to beat one at a time.
Fox
Thinks faster. The Fox reacts quickly and builds around speed. Plays as the strategist at tier I.
To beat it: you will not out-react it, so do not try. Make fights simple and big: one strong group, on your ground, rather than many small skirmishes it can pick apart.
Banker
Plays slow and guards. The Banker is careful, protects what it has, and builds around economy cards: faster cities, faster councils. Plays as the economist at tier I.
To beat it: pressure early, before its economy pays off. Take ruins before it does, and fight for the mines it relies on. If a level gives it mines, taking them slows it twice.
Raider
Strikes weak points. The Raider commits less of its army and goes for weaker cities, building around speed.
To beat it: keep your weak cities less weak. Do not leave a city far from your army with nothing beside it. Raiders punish spread-out play; a compact empire frustrates them.
Marshal
All in, but only when sure. The Marshal commits everything once it has a sure edge, and defends hard. It does not build around one kind of card: it counter-picks, choosing cards that answer what the leading side holds.
To beat it: do not give it a sure edge. Keep your army close to its size and avoid big losses, and it waits. Because it answers your build, a balanced build gives it less to answer.
Things that work against every general
- Look at the board. There is no fog of war: their armies and their land are in plain sight. See reading the board.
- Read the level card. From World 2, a general may have an advantage on a level, and the card says what it is.
- Watch their council countdowns in the top bar, and hit before a new card lands.
Where to go next
- The worlds they live in: the campaign's ten worlds.
- Picking the right plan for a rival: every Doctrine explained.