This guide hopes to explain how battle mechanics actually work in Evony. After going through it you should have a better idea of the mechanics and, therefore, should be able to make smarter decisions about combat.
Core rules of battle mechanics :
1) The length of the battlefield is determined by the longest range of the units present (base, without bonus) + 200. If archers are the longest range unit present, their base range is 1200 - add 200 and the battlefield is 1400 yards.
2) Each round starts with Unit Movement, then Unit Battle, then Fortification Battle
3) Troop Movement is done in order from the fastest unit on the field, down to the slowest - irrelevant of which side the unit is on. If two sides have a tie, the defender moves first.
4) Units don't move if they have a target in range at the beginning of their movement
5) When attacking, melee units (Pikes, Swords, Scouts, Warriors, Workers, Cavalry, Cataphract, Rams) attack whatever is in range first. If multiple targets are in range, they attack the target with the Highest Total Attack Value
6) When attacking, ranged units (ATs, Trebuchets, Archers, Ballistae, Catapults) attack other ranged units first. If multiple ranged units are in range, they attack ATs first, then the target with the Highest Total Attack Value. If no ranged units are in range of a ranged unit, they will then attack the FASTEST melee unit.
7) Scouts on offense will stay at the back of the battlefield and not move until there are no other units left on their side at which point they will start moving and attacking
8) Scouts on defense will not attack or move the whole battle
9) 1 Troop Type hits 1 Troop Type per round. Archers will never shoot at more than one troop type each round, for example.
Troop Speed and Range :
| Unit Type | Range | Speed |
| Worker | 10 | 180 |
| Warrior | 20 | 200 |
| Scout | 20 | 3000 |
| Pikeman | 50 | 300 |
| Swordsman | 30 | 275 |
| Archer | 1200 | 250 |
| Cavalry | 100 | 1000 |
| Cataphract | 80 | 750 |
| Transporter | 10 | 150 |
| Ballista | 1400 | 100 |
| Battering Ram | 600 | 120 |
| Catapult | 1500 | 80 |
| Archer Towers | 1300 | -- |
| Rolling Log | 1300 | -- |
| Defensive Trebuchet | 5000 | -- |
| Abitis | 5000 | -- |
| Trap | 5000 | -- |
With all this in mind, I have included 3 case studies with a breakdown of how each war report came to be. I encourage you to look at them and try to figure out how it happened yourself, and then look at the explanation I have.
Case Study 1 : Click Here for Detailed Explanation
Case Study 2 : Click Here for Detailed Explanation
Case Study 3 : Click Here for Detailed Explanation
