Saber warrior

Offensive Melee Special

A good offensive melee unit from special offers or events. In its role - the front line of the attack against infantry - it performs well, but it is not a universal unit and simply do not deploy it against ranged defenses. Consider its slower speed of 25 for raids. If you have it, it is worth keeping it for targets with heavy infantry; blindly throwing it at every attack makes no sense.

109Attack

135Melee defense

45Ranged defense

25Speed

4Food upkeep

Quick overview

Type	Offensive, Melee
Source	Special
Game stage	Special
Cost	—
Recommendation	Rather yes

rating

Attack

Defensive

Cost

Speed

The Swordsman is purely an offensive infantry unit for close combat (melee) - it belongs at the front gate, where the toughest battles take place. Key stats: attack 109, melee defense 135, but defense against ranged units is only 45. This imbalance determines everything you do with it. It is tough against infantry, but weak against archers and towers - and this weakness in attack cannot be "hidden" in any way.

How to use it

Deploy it in the front offensive slots at the gate, where it faces the opponent's melee defense. An attack of 109 is solid, not top-tier - unlike regular barracks attackers, its melee defense of 135 allows it to survive a bit longer, so it can deal more hits before going down. Food consumption of 4 is manageable even in larger numbers. Speed of 25 places it among the slower units, so it will slow down your entire wave - keep this in mind for raids, where a faster composition is more useful, and it doesn't matter for slower sieges.

What to combine it with

It targets heavy infantry, where your regular units die too quickly. Important: in attack, you do NOT address its weakness against ranged units by placing other units behind it - offensive formations in GGE do not work this way, covering "from behind" is the logic of castle defense, not attack. Instead, simply do not send it against castles packed with archers and build the entire offensive wave from melee attackers against melee defense. Supplement it with a commander that has a bonus to close combat attack, and it makes sense.

Weaknesses and what to avoid

Main rule: do not deploy it against strong ranged defenses. With a defense of 45 against ranged units, it will fall among the first against castles with archers and towers, no matter how high its melee defense is. Once there are ranged units on the other side, its value drops quickly, so choose another unit instead. It is not primarily a defensive unit - there are better specialists for static castle defense.

Pro player tipWatch your slot in the formation: The Swordsman belongs in the front positions against the opponent's infantry, never where it is targeted by ranged units. If you have it limited from an event, save it for attacks against targets with heavy infantry, not for every regular raid. And upgrade it to stars - the increments mainly target attack and defense (weights 3 and 4), so leveling it up will make it a tougher fighter in the front line.

Common mistakeCommon mistake: a player sees a defense of 135 and thinks the Swordsman is invincible - but that value only applies AGAINST melee combat. Against ranged units with a defense of 45, it will crumble, so attacking a ranged castle is a wasted unit. Another thing people confuse: taking "offensive unit = never for defense" dogmatically. It is not a dedicated defender, but with a melee defense of 135, it can serve as an anti-infantry unit even in your own castle in a pinch when you have nothing better at hand.

Related units

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