"Counter" is one of the most used words in strategy games, and one of the least explained. A unit that counters another beats it. But how hard it beats it changes everything about how you play. Players split counters into two kinds.
Hard counters
A hard counter wins almost every time, almost regardless of numbers. The countered unit can barely hurt its counter, or cannot reach it, or dies in one hit. A classic example from older games: anti-air guns against aircraft. Ten planes do not beat a few guns; they just die more slowly.
Hard counters make a game feel like scissors and paper. They reward knowing what your opponent has and building the answer. They punish surprise: if you did not see it coming, you lose.
Soft counters
A soft counter has an edge, not a lock. It does more damage, or takes less, but enough of the countered unit can still win. Two of your counter units beat two of theirs; two of yours against five of theirs may not.
Soft counters make a game feel like arithmetic. Matchups matter, but so do numbers, ground, timing and upgrades. A player who is out-countered can still win with numbers.
Why games choose one or the other
| Hard counters | Soft counters | |
|---|---|---|
| Reward | Scouting and planning | Judgement and execution |
| A surprise | Usually decides the fight | Can be survived |
| Numbers | Matter little | Matter a lot |
| Feel | Rock, paper, scissors | A balance of weights |
Games with fog of war often lean on hard counters, because scouting is part of the skill. Games where everything is visible tend toward soft counters: when you can always see the answer, a hard counter would make every fight decided before it starts.
Dot Conquest: counters in plain sight
Dot Conquest has no fog of war, and its matchups sit in between. Each kind of dot does more damage to some kinds and less to others; a few matchups are strong enough to feel close to hard (a Siege against a Heavy is the sharpest), while most are an edge that numbers can overcome. You can read the table in the counter chart, where every matchup comes from the game's rules.
What that means in practice:
- Numbers still matter. A big group of Lights can beat a small group of Heavies, even though Heavies are strong against Lights.
- The ground tips close fights. A dot standing in a forest takes less damage, one in a river more. On soft counters, that is often the difference.
- The mix matters more than the pick. Because every city makes mostly Lights with the other kinds mixed in, you rarely field a pure army. You tilt your mix with Doctrines and cards.
How to tell which you are facing
In any game, ask three questions:
- Does doubling the countered side change the result? If yes, it is soft.
- Can the countered unit hurt its counter at all? If barely, it is hard.
- Does the game show you what is coming? If yes, expect soft counters; the design has to leave room to react.
Where to go next
- The real numbers: the unit counter chart.
- When an odd unit is worth fielding: when support units are worth it.
- More strategy words: the glossary.