Muscle man

Offensive Melee Special

The Bruiser is a decent special melee infantry unit with an attack of 116 for a low cost of 85 and a food consumption of 0. It's not a miracle - the attack is just enough for weak and medium targets and it struggles against heavily defended gates. Its main use is in offensive waves in the early and mid-game, where it can replace more expensive units. You don't need to push it into defense, there are better specialists for that. When you get it from an event, include it in the attack and don't overestimate its defensive numbers - it won't be useful in offense.

116Attack

142Melee defense

52Ranged defense

30Speed

—Food upkeep

Quick overview

Type	Offensive, Melee
Source	Special
Game stage	Special
Cost	85
Recommendation	More likely yes

rating

Attack

Defensive

Cost

Speed

The Bruiser is a melee infantry unit for close combat - attack 116, along with high defense against melee 142 and poor defense against ranged units 52. Be careful of one thing that many players confuse: when you send the Bruiser into attack, only its attack 116 counts. The defensive values 142 and 52 only apply when you leave the unit to defend a castle or camp. So consider the Bruiser primarily as an attacker with a solid number for its cost (85), not as a defensive powerhouse. The food consumption of 0 is a nice bonus for maintaining your army, but don't base your entire strategy on it.

How to use it

The Bruiser belongs in offensive waves, not in garrisons. When you attack a target defended by infantry and axemen, its attack 116 will do a decent job for a reasonable price. In practice, you will get it from special offers or events, usually in batches of several units at once, and you best utilize it by mixing it into your attack among your regular offensive units. If you are a new player and you get Bruisers from an event, feel free to include them in your attack - attack 116 is above the starting barracks units and the cost won't ruin you. You don't need to push it into castle defense: even though it has a melee defense of 142, purely defensive units will generally give you a better ratio across both defensive categories, because the Bruiser is weak against ranged units (52).

What to combine it with

Include the Bruiser in an offensive wave together with units that can handle targets defended by ranged units - it doesn't belong alone against gates with archers, its attack is not particularly above average and it wouldn't be used in defense anyway. Mix it with regular offensive infantry so that you have enough units to cover the entire gate; a few additional Bruisers will strengthen your attack, but don't make an entire army out of them. Speed 30 is normal for infantry, so it doesn't slow you down significantly - the army moves at the speed of the slowest unit anyway, and this is not an extreme case. If you exceptionally use it in defense, place it as the front line against attacking infantry and put units against ranged units behind it, so it doesn't fall to archers.

Weaknesses and what to avoid

Do not send the Bruiser to attack a target that you know is heavily fortified or defended by quality defense - attack 116 is just enough for weak and medium gates, and it will fall unnecessarily against well-defended targets. Don't overestimate its defensive numbers: as long as the Bruiser is attacking, the values 142 and 52 do not count, so there is no point in sending it into attack with the hope that it "holds well". And if you do put it in defense, never against ranged units - defense 52 against arrows means that archers will shred it before it does anything. There are other units for that.

Pro player tipDon't hide Bruisers in your inventory just because "it's an event unit". As soon as you get them, include them directly in offensive waves against weaker to medium targets - there, attack 116 will do the job and save your better units for tougher gates. You will especially appreciate the food consumption of 0 in the early and mid-game phases when you are maintaining more offensive units and every saved resource counts. But don't take this as a reason to collect hundreds of them for garrison - their place is in the offense.

Common mistakeThe most common mistake is that players are lured by the number 142 and think that the Bruiser is great for defense or that it "holds" even in attack. In attack, only attack 116 counts, the defensive values lie idle - remember that. The second trap is putting it in castle defense against ranged units: against archers, it only has 52 and will fall completely unnecessarily. And the third mistake is the opposite - letting it rot in the inventory. It is a usable offensive unit for its cost, so feel free to deploy it in the early and mid-game phases.

Related units

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