Stopping K1960 - #C12114 Update

One week ago, on February 1st at 15 UTC, the eagerly awaited KvK battle between Imperium kingdoms K1960, K1093, and K2605 kicked off with the opening of the level 4 passes. While 1093 had no significant fight right away, 1960 and 2605 pulled no punches in their battle for the first seven hours after the passes opened. 

The course of events leading to this anticipated KvK took an unexpected turn due to a breakdown in diplomacy among the major kingdoms involved. As followers of Chisgule Gaming may already be aware, these failed diplomatic efforts lead to a regrettable Free-For-All (FFA) scenario as the only viable option. Experienced players of Rise of Kingdoms may empathize with the sentiment that such FFA-style KvKs often prove to be challenging, treacherous, and downright frustrating for all participants.

Given their absence of allies in this KvK, 1960 finds itself compelled to exercise caution in engaging in combat and risking troop losses. 1960 usually embodies the spirit of Vice-Admiral Nelson, with a motto of “Never mind the maneuvers, just go straight at them!” and so exercising restraint is a departure from their accustomed strategies. On the opposing front, Kingdom 1093, positioned diagonally across the map, faces relatively little resistance until the level 6 passes are accessible, bolstered by their status as the largest kingdom in the game in terms of active players. Consequently, any substantial losses incurred by other kingdoms prior to encountering Kingdom 1093 on the battlefield could spell disaster.

As the zone between 1960 and 2605 has now been accessible for a week, the question arises: how has the conflict unfolded? Has Kingdom 1960 asserted dominance over Kingdom 2605, as many had anticipated? Let’s take a look.

Seven hours into the confrontation, the map looked like this:

And now, seven days since the passes opened, the map looks like this:

What? How did 2605 manage to halt the advance of the most formidable alliance in the game?

When facing an unstoppable force such as Kingdom 1960, the necessity arises for an immovable object. Kingdom 2605 demonstrated meticulous preparation by deploying an impervious garrison pairing of Gorgo and Attila. Indeed, as surprising as it may sound, a unique artifact within the Warriors Unbound KvK allowed the garrison captains of Kingdom 2605 to reallocate all cavalry buffs from Attila to infantry buffs, thereby enhancing his synergy with Gorgo, whose primary focus lies in normal attack damage, just like Atilla. This pair became an unbreakable wall for 2605, who managed to trade almost two-for-one against basically any rally 1960 threw at them.

So, what lies ahead for this KvK? The next major milestone is the Pass 5 opening, but it is unlikely we will see any major battles then, as K1093 and K1960 will still be unable to connect. It is likely that only when Pass 6 opens will the next major fight ensue.

Will the stalemate in this Zone 4 hold for the next two weeks? Will 1960 find a way to break the Gorgo-Atilla garrison? Will the smaller camps be the wildcard that throws a wrench into the outcome of this KvK? At this time, it’s impossible to say. We’ll have to wait and see over the next two weeks how things play out. Stay tuned for future updates on this crazy KvK!