Pyromaniac

Offensive Melee Special

A specialized offensive tool that requires an experienced hand. The high attack of 111 is tempting, but the paper-thin defense and hunger make it a unit for targeted strikes, not for everyday farming. If you have a source to obtain it from events and know how to send it only where there are no threats from ranged units, it is a nice addition to your offensive army.

111Attack

19Melee defense

4Ranged defense

30Speed

4Food upkeep

Quick overview

Type	Offensive, Melee
Source	Special
Game stage	Special
Cost	145
Recommendation	Situationally

rating

Attack

Defensive

Cost

Speed

The Firestarter is a purely offensive infantry unit with an attack of 111, which is a decent number for a melee combat unit, but for that strength, you pay with poor defense: 19 against melee and a miserable 4 against ranged units. It is a tool for breaking through, not for holding the line. With a food consumption of 4 and a cost of 145, it ranks among the more expensive special units, so deploy it purposefully, not as filler in your army. You can obtain it from special offers or events; it is not a unit from regular barracks.

How to use it

In practice, you place Firestarters in the first wave of attack against targets where the defender has few ranged units. An attack of 111 can break through infantry, but against archers on the walls, your losses will escalate very quickly, as that defense of 4 does not cover you at all. A speed of 30 is standard, so it does not slow down the march of the rest of the army. If you are a new player, do not spend on it until you have a solid offensive foundation made up of regular units and an economy that can support its hunger.

What to combine it with

It works best in a mix with a more durable unit that draws the defense while the Firestarter delivers pure attack. Supplement it with your own archers in the same wave to cover that gap against ranged units. Under an offensive commander with a bonus to melee infantry attack, you will get significantly more out of it. Conversely, do not include it in the defensive garrison of a castle; it is useless there.

Weaknesses and what to avoid

Do not put it on defense, not even by mistake. With a defense of 19/4, it will not last in the garrison, and it is a waste of food. Do not deploy it against targets with heavy ranged defense on the walls; they will shred it before it even gets to melee combat, and easily half of the wave may not even reach. And do not build an entire army out of it due to the food consumption of 4 per head; that will disrupt your supplies.

Pro player tipKeep Firestarters in reserve and only bring them out for specific attacks where you know the defender has weak infantry and few ranged units. When sending them in multiple waves, carefully watch where the enemy's ranged units are and do not send them there. The stars say a lot: attack 3, but the cost of 4 stars confirms that it is an expensive specialized unit. You pay for attack, not versatility, and a defense of 1 star only underscores that.

Common mistakeA common mistake is to throw Firestarters against castles with full walls of archers and then wonder why the losses are skyrocketing. A defense of 4 against ranged units means that every arrow hurts, and you could easily lose most of the wave before they even get in range. The second mistake is keeping them in a defensive garrison because they look fierce, but they will do nothing there. The third mistake is buying them before you have mastered basic units and have supplies to support their hunger.

Related units

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