West Game’s world is filled with ranch empires and outlaw gangs looking to make a quick buck off beginners or a handsome profit from controlling the state government. This is the way of the wild West. Although a bit caricaturized, Lexiang Co.’s base-builder alludes to the difficult life of the American frontier period: there is no way to play peacefully when shoot-outs happen in your vicinity every single day.

In our previous article, we’ve given you an overview of the most important buildings in West Game. Now, we’d like to focus on how you can handle conflict in this game so that you don’t end up on the wrong end of a gunfight. And yes, you’ll need a big iron on your hip.

Cowboys and Native Americans

In West Game, you can do battle either with other players or with the NPC units you see on the world map. For example, you can use your sheriff to attack outlaws next to your town. Sometimes, the best way to protect your settlement from becoming a paradise for fugitives and bandits is to go on the offensive. But this type of battle will not require any of your troops. It’s a mano-a-mano style of confrontation where your good guy – the town’s sheriff (who looks quite similar to Clint Eastwood in The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly) – goes against a marauder.

The idea with these NPC fights is to hit a minion as many times as you can before killing it. The reason you want to do this is because they’re something of a pinata – the more times you hit them, the more resources and experience you gain. In addition, they also give out a Combo Bonus if you happen to chain these attacks within a specific timeframe, such as 4 hours from your first incursion. There are many types of outlaws out there, so be prepared to engage in a stand-off with all sorts of characters.

However, if you really want to shake things up, you can also attack some of the neighboring towns. This is more complicated business, as you might have figured out by now. In these battles, you’ll need an army to send out and you can also add a hero to the march. You get these later on, when you unlock the Saloon. When your troops reach their destination, they’ll shoot their best and, depending on how many units there are, as well as on how many traps await you on the railroad, you can either be victorious or come home with your tail between your legs.

Just remember that it’s always a better idea to team up with a partner from your alliance when you enter a PvP conflict. It doesn’t matter who started it; you just have to make sure that you’re the one who ends it.

Another important matter to keep in mind is that, just like you have business partners, so will they. Don’t underestimate your opponent when deciding to go to Main Street with them. You never know what manner of cannons can hide under somebody’s poncho. This is particularly the case with those settlements who look like they’re focused on generating resources. It might seem like they’re defenseless, but odds are that these accounts are farms for really strong guys. Beware.

Play West Game on BlueStacks

We’ll get to more detailed aspects of West Game battles in a little while. For now, it’s important to remember that there are four kinds of troops you can fit in your army, and that the outcome of a battle is decided by the latter’s level and number.

The Stuff Real Cowboys Are Made Of

If you didn’t get a chance to inspect the barracks more closely, there are four types of troops in West Game – pistoleers (infantry), skirmishers (archers, essentially), horsemen (cavalry), and mortars (siege units). When two armies collide, the damage isn’t evenly distributed across all types. Instead, the lowest tier, namely your infantry, takes the most damage, and then some of it is be carried over to your archers, horsemen, and so on.

Especially in the late game, it might be tempting to reduce the number of pistoleers in favor of other units. However, they are your army’s first line of defense, which makes them an integral part of any victory. What’s more, each troop type has its own strengths and weaknesses. Pistoleers are good against horsemen and mortars, but they are easily squished by traps and ranged units. Skirmishers have the upper-hand against pistoleers and mortars, but traps and horsemen are their bane.

Cavalrymen, on the other hand, are great against archer and mortar type, but suffer immensely against infantry and traps, while mortars are just useful when attacking other towns, since they are weak against all other troop types. The conclusion? Build as many traps as you can and aim for a balanced army composition.

Although your settlements have no walls in West Game, the traps pretty much act like a strong fortification that does immense amounts of damage. The best approach to fighting in the Western trenches is to scout your enemies as much as possible and decide on your army’s composition depending on what they have waiting for you. If you don’t have the fortune to build an all-star, high-tier battalion, split your troops into two, maybe three marches that are predominantly pistoleers (something in the lines of 40%), while the remainder is a balance between the other three types. You’ll inflict less damage, yes, but you’ll save yourself a ton of resources in re-training expensive units.

The Unforgiving West

Ideally, you want to try and bait your enemies by performing a series of mock attacks before you decide on the time and place where the big showdown is going to take place. This should be your standard strategy in late-game encounters, where millions of troops are on the line. In addition, to maximize your army’s odds of coming out on top, you’ll want to progress through the Academy Combat research trees as much as possible.

If you want to find out the fastest way to do so, you can check out our Town Center progression guide. Also, you should probably play the game on BlueStacks, since this will give you even more possibilities to speed up your resource farming potential. If you’re a West Game veteran, don’t hesitate to tell us more about your experience within the great, mobile American frontier in the comments section below.

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