Brave Warriors!

Today we have the opportunity to interview a very interesting player, someone who managed to reach the top spot in the mightiest Jarls ranking in just a few hours. Having surpassed top players such as Vendetta and BUB-KAVKAZ, he consolidated his place among the top 5 mightiest players. Let’s introduce him: Max from the 68th Kingdom Odstalfe.

V - Vikings: War of Clans

M - Maks

V – Hi there! To start off, how should we address you? Is Max your real name?

M – Greetings! My name is Maxim, Max to my friends. My nickname is Maks, which is very handy since we have an international Clan.

V – First of all, we want to thank you for agreeing to answer our questions. Our first question is the one on everybody’s mind: was reaching the top of the rankings your goal, or did you do it accidentally? What prompted such a huge jump up the rankings?

M – Thank you for giving me the opportunity to take part in this interview. I’m grateful to Plarium for making Vikings: War of Clans and I never thought that you guys would be interested in talking to me. Yes, taking the top spot in the ranking was important to me, because nobody had ever unseated Vendetta in the history of the game. Now that I’ve achieved that — knocking Vendetta down to the No. 2 spot — I don’t plan on trying to be the strongest anymore.

V – How did you manage to achieve this? Did you focus on developing your Town? Or did you pour all your energy into training a powerful army?

М – It wasn’t easy and took almost a year. I couldn’t reach my goal without the help of my fellow Clan members; I’m really grateful for all they did for me. I learned Knowledge, trained troops and upgraded buildings simultaneously, since doing only one thing is pointless. My own personality was an obstacle for me: my play style has always involved adventurous battles and lots of losses. Failures like that cost me precious Influence points.

V – Tell us about yourself. Where are you from? What do you do?

М – I am Ukrainian and live in Kyiv, where I run my own business. I enjoy sports, politics and playing chess.

V – Tell us about your Kingdom. Odstalfe is peaceful, so does that mean that only the Kingdoms Battle can entertain experienced players such as yourself? Or do you have worthy rivals nearby who are ready to challenge you?

M – Our Kingdom isn’t very peaceful: Clans are always fighting and there are no armistices. Despite this, truly interesting battles are rare: opponents mostly attack each other at resource locations. This is a passive way of waging war that is boring for a player at my level, so I look to the Kingdoms Battle as a way of fulfilling my potential.

V – You are one of the most powerful players in your Clan, but for some reason you’re in no rush to take the Chief’s place. Why? Is it because you don’t want to spend precious time on Clan duties, or because you simply don’t like managing in general?

M – We merged several Clans to make an international one. I manage the Russian-speaking players and the Chief manages the English-speaking ones — that was a condition of our unification. The Chief title isn’t important to me. Our Clan isn’t a dictatorship and there are no strict requirements for players, except activity. We are a friendly and tight-knit group.

V – Please tell us about your everyday life in the game. Would you call yourself a “killing machine”? Or do you prefer the role of the peaceful farmer?

M – I get bored between Kingdoms Battles since I’ve finished upgrading all the existing Knowledge and have enough troops. These days I enter the game to chat with my clansmen and help any of them who need it. The farmer’s role is not my thing at all. Maybe I really am a “killing machine”?

V – Do you stick to certain tactics when playing, or is your play style “only improvisation, only hardcore”? If you do have a particular tactic, how long did it take to develop it?

М – Tactics… it’s more like improvisation. It’s like being a hunter waiting for his prey. The fact is that it’s not always advantageous to have a lot of Influence points. This attracts the enemy’s attention. Opponents usually monitor my game activity in order to decide whether they can attack other members of our Clan or if there is a risk that they’ll meet a reinforcement, for example.

V – How do you begin your day in Vikings: War of Clans? All of us have set daily schedules, repeated over years, where we wake up and get ready to go out to work or school. Do you have your own daily playing schedule?

М – I don’t have any schedule. During the Kingdoms Battle my activity increases exponentially since it’s a great chance to “refresh” my warriors and really test my mettle.

V – Considering your power and Influence, it can be assumed that you often enter into harsh confrontations with other players: by tracking coordinates, performing Onslaughts and surprise attacks, actions that could lead to a war between Clans. Is this an accurate description?

М – Yes, it is. During the Kingdoms Battle I’m always eager to participate in risky ventures, Onslaughts and ambushes. This is what I play for, it’s what brings me the most enjoyment.

V – We want to ask you one of the questions that our readers are most interested in. What do you get out of playing when most of your rivals are no threat to you and all of your buildings and Knowledge have been upgraded to the highest level? Have you discovered new opportunities and goals for yourself after achieving such success?

М – I am interested in game updates and possible confrontations with other Kingdoms during the Kingdoms Battle.

V – Do you communicate with other players from the top 10 such as Vendetta, Maurauder or BUB? Do you have a community where you discuss game issues?

М – Of course, there are plenty of communities on social networks where players exchange opinions, sharing information and battle screenshots. I communicate with many players regardless of their Influence.

V – Is the game’s social dimension important for you? Have you found friends, comrades or even enemies here? Maybe someone who has never forgiven you for killing all of their troops?

М – The social side of the game is very strong. Thanks to Vikings: War of Clans, I’ve got to know lots of interesting people not only from Kiev, but from all over the world. Special thanks for this. After battles I often get messages from opponents, both positive and negative. Yes, most people don’t forgive me for destroying their troops, but this game doesn’t leave room for any weakness. Those players need to look at themselves for the source of their defeats.

V – In your opinion, what personal qualities contribute to achieving good results in the game?

М – Those qualities are curiosity and determination. If a person wants to achieve something, they look for a way to do it, and those who don’t really want it look for excuses.

V – What improvements would you like to see in the game? What suggestions do you have for the developers?

М – Thanks for this question. Currently I have only one suggestion for developers — unify some Kingdoms. Activity in the older Kingdoms is mostly low and players who enjoy the game are left in a difficult position — they can’t confront more powerful opponents in the Kingdoms Battle. I think it’s time to do something with the old timers of Vikings: War of Clans. What I mean is getting rid of all Towns with Palaces below level 9, whose players haven’t been in the game for over 3 months, from Kingdoms 1 to 120. It is obvious that such Towns are completely useless and just take up space. I think that these 120 Kingdoms should then be randomly divided into groups (for example, 6 Kingdoms per group). This will give us 20 Kingdoms that will be able to fight each other on equal terms — this will give the game a new lease of life and some of the abandoned Towns will be revived.

V – Thanks a lot for your answers. Finally, please offer some tips or advice for beginners and experienced players.

М – Players at various levels often ask me questions. On this occasion, I would like to comment on the most frequently asked questions. I hope this will be helpful for beginners.

- What’s the best way to set and equip the Hero to ensure victory in battle?

- There is no all-purpose Set. Each new opponent differs from the previous one, and it’s hard to predict the result of any battle. Use individual Sets for various troop types.

- Which troop types are best for battles?

- If we are talking about a battle with a powerful yet equal opponent, first you should assess their equipment with gems and their Hero’s level. Only after you have done this you will be able to attack with the most effective troops for the situation and the most appropriate Set. For example, if your opponent’s equipment strengthens melee warriors, it’s better to attack them with siege.

- What should I upgrade in order to become a powerful warrior?

- There are three main factors that influence how powerful you are: your Hero’s level (number of Skill points), Knowledge and equipment with gems. All of these are very important, but I would recommend that beginners concentrate on the Hero’s level, since their Skills can be reset at any time. Best of luck to all Jarls!