A Basic Guide for Off System Wars

OFF SYSTEM WARRING.

This is a basic guide on some aspects of off system war for anyone interested in how it works, wanting to join a war clan or wanting to take their clan into it's first off system war.This guide is mainly directed at Attack builds although hopefully everyone can benefit a little.
I personally find off system warring is one of the most exciting and fun aspects of KaW and would love to see more people give it a go

edit: added spy section written by Bellemorte

POTS


Attack Defense and Spy Defence



Firstly, always hold a minimum 5000 of every single attack defense and spy defense pots.
Off system wars can go for a long time and running out of defense/spy defense pots throughout it would not only be embarrassing but could also claim you as a prime strip target.

Spy defense pots (sdp) are in fact the single most important factor in an off system war, if you're a major target you should actually go as far as holding roughly 10,000 .Even if you have lots of Temple of Clarity ( spy defense fortress) the sdp are more important.Think about the bonus they give you ( 55,340,000) and unless you run out that's a static bonus.
Just like you need to ignore your spy stats that are bonuses from allies, they're not much help when those allies are bought off you
One warring clan I am friends with told me, if someone in a clan they are warring gets to 7 sdp ( spy defense pots) they are automatically a strip target.

I understand some of you probably think the numbers of sdp I have stated seems rather extreme, but imagine this, you've been trolling on wc or forums about your target clan all day, and that clan decides they're going to strip you. First thing they may do is pop your name in the CA ( clan announcement) to burn your sdp. So, all day ( If not for day's) that whole clan perform spy actions on your account ( not scouts, they don't burn pots) so each clan member, average 25 spy actions per hour ( fails still burn pots too remember) then think of crystal usage.... Anyway, you get the idea, the number of actions on your account can be rather large if you become a target.

Attack and Spy Attack Pots





In off system war the number of attack pots you hold isn't quite as important as the number of sdp, however, you would always want to hold a minimum number that you can sell to get back max ally plunder bonus.
So work out what $ you need to be at max, Multiply that number by 25% ( you only get a 75% return when selling pots), then buy that amount in attack pots and don't go below this number. (You buy it in attack as they can’t be burnt away).
Of course you can always buy and store enough nobility points that will give you max plunder also. This is so if/ when you get stripped, you can then restock enough allies so you aren't too weak to be effective. Or then spend days/weeks getting base plunder and trying to get back to a decent Bfa/mp.

Then buy a minimum of 500 of each attack pot which you can use when attacking.

DO’S AND DO NOT’S....


DO... BE ACTIVE:
inactivity will get you stripped. It's a good idea when in an off system war to take note of the other clans battle counts ( win/losses) to see if they're active so be aware they may do that to you. ( Also true with quest counts)

DO... Report incoming hits:

Same thing as with system wars, this is so your clan knows who is active. This is also beneficial in working out possible sleep times ( and therefore optimal stripping time)

Don't... Say goodnight in clan chat:

Unless your clan is wise and has no guests while in war, it could more than likely have a mole ( an alt from the opposing clan inside your clan gathering information). If you have a mole, and say goodnight before going to sleep don't expect to wake up with allies.

DO...Bank in pots:

If you are being hit you may not want to leave gold out. Remember, this isn't a system war, so if you have gold out and get hit/stolen its not like the other clan will then be 'winning', but it will mean you lose gold. Some people prefer to leave gold out so they can strip, however it's wise to bank it, and bank in pots as your allies can get stripped.

DO... Pick a target to use your troops on that you can win against and keep hitting them ( your spies will be used on the strip target in CA).

Report your hits in cc so others can follow up your actions to take that person out ( Dtw).

DON'T.... Write on the walls of any members of the opposing clan:

All you will be doing is giving them an easy link to your profile.
Also don't delete your wall posts, and don't respond to wall posts. This can give away your awake times too.
Some people like to clean there wall before the war gets going to avoid the opposing clan going after your friends.

DONT... Cry if you get stripped:

It's a strip war. Enough said

DO... Follow your clans Admin/Owners instructions:

This is paramount. It's clan unity and inner strength that wins off system wars. It is vital that everyone is on the same page.

DON'T... Hit a strip target:

Never ever hit or assassinate a spy target. Last thing we want is their troops to get down so they are Dtw and can't be stolen from when billions/trillions have just been spent stripping them.
Also, the reason you don't want to assass them down is because you want the steals done on them to be as effective as possible. The fewer troops they have the less gold per steal.

DON’T.... Hit the eb if your clan has one running and you're active:

If you're active then you can use your troops / spies on your opponent clan. EB's are generally run for Hansel builds to pin their troops on. If you are at work / school and can't defend incoming attacks you would receive from using your troops on the opponent clan then use them on the eb to keep yourself pinned / show them you're active / awake.

DO...Randomly hit if you wake up in the night:

Woke up to go to the toilet? To get a water? Because the baby is crying? Log on and throw a few hits toward your opponent. This will help confuse your sleeping times.

DO... Buy lots of cheap trash allies to hide your larger ones:

Means drop stripping isn't as effective on you. And the stripper has to eat alot of trash in order to get to the juicy allies. (Trash allies being over priced, low stat, less than 10 million in price).




MITHRIL SPELLS

Screenshot the allies of potential strip targets:






Thanks to new mithril spells ( seal of Loyalty or Oath of Fealty) that can hide allies this is important. If your strip target uses one of these spells how else will you strip them?


Use Unholy Aura mithril spell when stealing a strip target:



A 50% chance of making the enemy kingdom lose 100% more gold! Yay!

Use Veil of Darkness or Fog of war





If you are going to get stripped with one of these spells active,even if it means they fail steals a few extra times, it’s going to increase the length of time to clean you out. It may even deter the clan you are warring from stripping you.

Another hint if you don't like losing and you're active would be to only hit your target a maximum of 5 times then regen. This will keep your troops high so your defense is better.

OTHER TACTICS

Be Bullie’s (hey this is war)

Have your clan gang up on smaller members of the opposing clan. The smaller people cry louder and may leave the war. This all helps demoralize your opponent.


Play Dead (or asleep )


Don't hit anyone, use any troops or spies or quest or ANYTHING for several hours, don't talk in cc or 'that third party app' .
Do this around your normal bed time or get up early. The other clan will think you're asleep this will really annoy them if they have set you up for a strip, strip you,waste their gold stripping you, and you’re awake watching.

Spy heavy clans

If you're warring a spy heavy clan use your troops before your spies on them. As soon as they get incoming from you they are likely to assassinate bomb you and you can kiss goodbye to the troops you had. Also means that as soon as they 'return fire' you're already Dtw and they can't do much. Not a lot you can do to a spy except pin them, so make sure to keep them pinned.

Regeneration Time

Use spy actions, scout/assassinate/ steal till enemy has no spy troop. Every 10-15 seconds scout the enemy once, the moment you manage to kill enemy's spies ( 0 spies killed because they have 0 left), that's the regen time, note it down.



STRIPPING

Strip Banks


Your clan will want a strip bank. Stripping is what ultimately wins off system wars. Creating a strip bank is slightly harder now that pwars don't exist so the best thing to do is have someone create an alt ( you're allowed one pc account and one for each idevice you own). Have that alt in a separate clan and grow it enough to be able to eb. Make money constantly ebing and ally trading ( can also volley transfer gold to it). Have clan members shop your bank for allies too so it's cash flow grows. And this alt is not to grow, just make gold.
When it comes time to strip your chosen target have your bank buy allies off a clan member and get that clan member to do the stripping. This keeps your bank secret and untraceable.
When you start the strip it can be a good idea to start with buying larger allies you can see, this means that if you start running low on funds you can drop those allies to free up gold ( you get a 60% return) to buy the smaller ones you left behind.

Test Strips

Do test strips before a full strip by buying a few allies off a strip target and steal them. Wait to see if they pin themselves. If they do then they're awake and you haven't wasted a lot of gold on a fail strip attempt.
How to test if target ran out of gold or self pin? When the target is dtw to steal... assassinate them once. If target is not dtw to assinates, that means he ran out of gold. ensure that only 1 person do the test...

Picking a strip target:
Look for....
* Low spy defense ( easy to steal from)
* small number of allies ( a cheap strip that will cry/demoralize clan/be less effective in the war)
* admins / owners ( these are the people you want to surrender and beg your clans forgiveness on behalf of theirs)
*be careful if they own clan members. Your target might be asleep but the clan member they own may not be, meaning, as soon as they see they have been bought they can alert the clan and the clan and assassinate your target so you can no longer steal from them. ( because of this it can be a good idea to own a clan member yourself).
* see if you can find them on 'that 3rd party app' as you can often find their time zone on that. Although some people work weird hours etc so this can't be relied upon.
* look for non-pro members, they haven't got any pro pack bonuses and are less likely to have purchased nobility which they could cash in to buy more allies. It's much more fun when your strip target gets naked and stays naked


There are so many tactics, and so much more to off system warring. These are just the basics / some hints. Any feedback or comments are more than welcome

Big thanks to ShadowKan, Zoey, Bellemorte and LionHeart for helping me out with this ( and Cor for your editing ) <3

SPIES

Written by Bellemorte

Introduction

One of the most important determinants in any off system war is the spy build. If used properly, it can be an excellent weapon in defeating your enemy. Spy builds should work independently from attack builds and in coordination with the strip bank.

The Main Jobs of the Spy in Off System Warring



1.) Potion Burning
2.) Stealing from stripped accounts


Potion (also known as pot(s)) Burning:


The spy build will be allocated with several targets (a good number is between 3-5, depending on the number of spies at your disposal). These targets are chosen as possible strip targets. While the leaders of the off system are learning the activity times of these players, the spies are pot burning.

What is potion burning?

Exactly what it sounds like: you burn spy defense potions. The way that this is accomplished is through assassinations. Lots and lots of assassinations. A spy build averages 25 assassinations per full unload. This burns 12 million dollars worth of pots multiplied by 25 hits, equaling a 300 million dollar loss per run. It is not necessary to win assassinations, just that you are burning full pots. Normally, a spy build does not need to use any spy attack potions for this job, as it is actually better to fail. If the spy wins too many assassinations, then the target will go dtw (defender too weak).

Why pot burn?

There are two reasons for pot burning. The first, as stated above is the loss of money from pots that the target loses per run. This sum can get quite heavy as each spy (without using crystals) can take around 5 billion per day in pots alone. The second reason is simply to lower the amount of pots the target has so that they are ripe for a stripping. Once the last two spy defense pots have been completely burned, it’s party time. The strippers step in, take the allies, (after determining that the target is not active), and the spies go to work on their second job:

Stealing from stripped accounts

Once the target has been stripped, it is the job of the spy build to take their money as fast and as efficiently as possible. Basically, this is the time that spies will want to use spy attack pots (if necessary) to gain the maximum number of successful actions. Crystals are also an excellent idea to use.
Here is an example of how a spy strip works:
Target A is sleeping soundly with only 7 spy defense pots (sdp). The stripper takes 100 billion in allies (this is an even number and an easy one to work with). Each successful steal takes around 1% of the gold that Target A has out. So, at 100 bil, the target loses an average of 1 billion per steal. As the player has less gold, the amount stolen lessens as well. At 75 billion, the target loses an average of 750 million per steal. At 50 billion, the target loses an average of 500 mil per steal. The 1% is an average and not static, as it is based on several factors. The larger the spy, the more is stolen. The smaller the spy, the less is stolen.
(Note: Clarification- The higher the combined stats of the spy who is stealing causes a greater % loss to the target (defender). The percent difference is variable between .08 and .16% on average. A complete testing of this has not been done, but it averages out to around .1%, and for the sake of simplicity, .1% is an easy number)


Pure Spy Versus Hansel

There are basically two types of spies: pures and hansels. The pure spy has no attack buildings. The Level 2 castle gives stats, but not troops, therefore it does not affect the pure spy mechanics. The Hansel has one attack building and the rest spy buildings (there is also a tri-level Hansel, but for simplicity sake, let’s just go with one building with attack troops. Let’s also say that the type of building the Hansel chooses is irrelevant).


1.) Pure Spy-

This is the lazy man (or woman) spy build. A pure spy should have no allies in war, so they have no fear of being stripped. The Pure spy cannot be attacked as long as they have zero gold out. As the spy steals, they should bank in pots and clear any gold left over by having an attack build friend attack them once. The pure can be assassinated, but it takes between 3-5 accounts to keep the pure pinned and they have to stay on you every 5 minute regeneration.
So, either the pure is left alone to pot burn away or it takes out around 5 of your opponents spy troops. When it is time for stripping, the pure merely crystals and steals freely.

(Note: Clarification- there is occasion when a player can be hit with zero gold out. This is because of a “floating point” system. The best way to describe this is in dollars and cents. If you have $10.36 it is rounded to ten dollars. This is the same with gold, you can have .36 gold and it is rounded to show that you have zero, but you are still able to be stolen from. And because of the incredibly low amount of gold you have out, (.36) you only lose 1% (average) of that (.0036 gold) which leaves you with .3564 gold. And the process continues. This isn’t a huge deal and doesn’t happen that often and the best way to counter this is to just have someone attack you after you have banked. It will absolute zero out your gold.)


2.) Hansel-

This build is more lucrative, particularly when not in an off system. A Hansel can hold allies, which boosts its bonus from allies (bfa) and therefore strength. But, having allies leaves the Hansel open to strip. It is more difficult to steal strip a Hansel than an attack build with lower spy stats (unless you are dealing with an attack build with humongous spy bfa). However, this is easily countered by assassinating the hansel’s spy troops to zero and using strong spies to steal away merrily. Another issue with the Hansel is that, even with zero gold out, other hansels and hybrid builds can attack them as long as they have above 20% attack troops. Therefore, it is necessary for the Hansel to constantly keep their attack troops pinned by questing or wasting troops on a large attack target to weaken them. A positive is that the Hansel can leave gold out IF they keep both their spy and attack troops below 20%. Of course, so can an attack and hybrid build.

From experience, hansels are lots of fun and easy money while they sleep. Also, if an ally gets bought away, the hansel is prime meat. So, all in all, as a Hansel, you must be more vigilant in order to keep your allies and gold safe from attacks. As a pure, you don’t get allies that boost your bfa, but you have nothing to lose.

 

Lol warwolf it actually was, thanks