Castle Design and Layout
Designing Your Castle
There is no one correct way to design a castle! Some ways just function more efficiently than others.
Everyone builds differently and favors a different aesthetic for their layout. My method may not suit your playing style, but one common consideration you should keep in mind as you build is accessibility: can you reach a building easily to utilize it? Is everything you need to use visible?
- Critical buildings like the Keep, Sentry House, and Catacombs should be together, and easily seen. Those are the three buildings you’ll access the most, so put them where you can reach them without a problem. Sometimes access speed is important, and not being able to get into them quickly can cost you troops and resources.
- The Eagles Nest, Obelisk of Power, Market, and Altar of Mara are used frequently, so position them accordingly.
- Your Crypt should be easily seen when someone View's your castle. You get more Wraith clicks if it's one of the first buildings they see. Don't put it in the top corner behind another building, especially if you have expanded the castle size. That area is behind the report menu and sometimes barely visible in the larger castles.
- Buildings you need to access occasionally, like Infirmary, House of Scrolls, Town Hall, and Sanctum of Shards should be grouped in easy reach.
- Buildings that need to be upgraded should be grouped together so you don't forget one. Once they have reached their maximum level, move them out of the way. Buildings that don't upgrade should be put where they aren't blocking anything critical.
With these points in mind, lets take a look at some examples of what NOT to do:
This is a castle belonging to an active player! How many problems can you spot here?
#1 The Keep, Sentry House, and Catacombs are too far apart and lost in the crush of buildings. Placing them close together will save you time and energy moving between them.
#2 The Warehouses and Barns are not grouped, making it difficult to upgrade them without a search.
#3 Did you notice the incomplete castle walls? There are three different levels there!
#4 One of the farms is placed behind the Sentinel Tower on the southern wall - if this section was upgraded to Level 3 Fortification, this farm could not be selected, and could not be moved or upgraded without moving or demolishing that section of wall and the tower.
WARNING: under the current method of selecting buildings in the Castle Edit mode, a large building or wall placed in front of a smaller object will block it from selection. If you place a small object against a section of the southern walls, it will be stuck there unless you can move, or demolish, the wall section.
#5 The Castle Guards are scattered - I can only see two sets of Immortals, and since most people do get all five of them, there are apparently three missing. League members will have a hard time reviving these troops, if they even try to find them.
If you get castle guards (active Improvements, the ones that can be “killed”) for your castle, please place them where they are easy to find - if you are raided, other players will have to see them to revive (click) them, and if you have hidden your Crusader’s, Hydra’s, and Trolls all over your castle people aren’t going to want to revive them for you.
“Clicks” are a benefit of League teamwork, not an entitlement. Those decorative troop formations you see in the high level castles are not just for looks - they put the guards out where they are easily visible.
Does anyone want to play Where's Waldo?
Now lets take a look at some good examples!
This player's castle is laid out so everything that you would need access to is along the southern edge of the castle. It you need to interact with it, you have no problem finding it.
- The Keep, Sentry House, Catacombs, and Infirmary are all centrally located and do not block each other from selection.
- The Crypt is in clear view, and easily clicked to summon a Wraith.
- Buildings you need to interact with are in clear sight, so you can see when they have completed builds. Ones you only use occasionally are off to the side, but still accessible.
- The resource buildings are neatly grouped.
- Buildings that do not require upgrades are placed out of the way.
Here are a couple more examples:
- Notice the Keep, Sentry House, and Catacombs grouped together, and the nice neat rows of Castle Guards?
