How Swordland Showdown works
The strategy on this page is community opinion from player guides, not game data. Two alliances fight for an hour over buildings that produce Relic Points. Each alliance can field two legions of 30, with 10 substitutes who fill empty places in the first 3 minutes. Legion 1's win or loss sets the alliance rewards, so put your strongest and most active players there. Personal rewards follow your own points, so a top scorer on the losing side can earn more than a low scorer on the winning side. Troops cannot die: they are only injured, and they heal free when you leave the battlefield or the event ends. Dates and reward routes are on the data page.
What the buildings are worth
| Building | Opens | Alliance points | Personal points | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Swordshrine | After 15 minutes | 1,800 | 900 | Highest points; first control gives 9,000 alliance points |
| Sanctum (2) | At the start | 1,200 | 600 | Second-highest points |
| Abbey (4) | At the start | 600 | 300 | Moderate points |
| Bell Tower | At the start | 240 | 120 | Halves your capture time |
| Royal Stables | At the start | 240 | 120 | Halves your free teleport cooldown |
| Hall of Reformation | After 15 minutes | 240 | 120 | Buffs all your troops |
| Mercenary Camp | After 15 minutes | 240 | 120 | Sends a mercenary strike at an enemy building |
How scoring works
- A building takes a 3-minute countdown to capture and scores nothing until then. The first alliance to finish it gets a first-control bonus.
- Half of the points a building produces are stored on it. If the enemy takes it, those points leave your total and drop as Baggage Trains anyone can collect.
- Kills give personal points only: kingshotmastery.com gives 80 per 10,000 enemy power defeated when attacking and 40 when defending.
- Undercellars are slower gathering points that many alliances ignore. Send spare marches there late in the battle.
Roles and opening plan
Defenders
Lead the garrison in key buildings. The KingShot Wiki splits them into three teams of 5 to 8 joiners: one holds your Sanctum, your strongest player takes the enemy Sanctum, and one takes the Bell Tower or Stables.
Strongest playersAttackers
Hit weak joiners and poorly reinforced buildings, then move on. Burning an enemy city forces it to teleport away from the building it was holding.
Active players with teleportsJoiners
Follow your assigned defender and garrison their building. Collect dropped Baggage Trains and work the Undercellars.
Everyone elseOpening targets
kingshotmastery.com takes Royal Stables, then Bell Tower, then Sanctums, then Abbeys. The KingShot Wiki aims for both Sanctums and one Abbey before the Swordshrine opens. When it does, take the Hall of Reformation and contest the Swordshrine only if you can hold it.
First 15 minutesHeroes and troops
- The KingShot Wiki suggests 50% infantry, 20% cavalry, 30% archers in most cases, the same as this site's Army calculator Player preset, or 60/40/0 when leading with Alcar, Margot and Saul.
- Rally joiners: the KingShot Wiki pairs Hilde, Amane or Saul with Chenko, since Chenko adds lethality the others lack.
- Attack alone with your newest heroes, if they are well invested. Most of a player's strength sits in their first march, so send only that unless the target has fewer than 100,000 troops left.
- Buy the 20% gem buff rather than the 10% one if you can: buffs multiply your existing bonuses rather than adding to them.
- Leaving the battlefield heals every troop instantly but locks you out for 12 minutes, so avoid it during a contested fight.
When the battle is going badly
- Switch to personal points. Pick off isolated enemies and reinforce defended buildings, which still scores 40 per 10,000 power defeated.
- Flip enemy buildings with a lot of stored points: the Baggage Trains they drop are the main way to come back late.
- Kingshotmastery.com warns never to sit in your safe zone: you score nothing there.
- Kingshotguide.com advises weaker alliances to pick the few objective windows they can win and commit to those rather than spread out.
Where guides disagree
- Defensive heroes: the KingShot Wiki says attack and defence resolve the same way, so defensive joiners such as Gordon are not needed. kingshotmastery.com recommends Howard with Quinn for defenders. Our skill data gives each a 20% damage-taken reduction at level 5, which matches its claim of up to 40% combined.
- Free teleports: the KingShot Wiki gives one every 10 minutes (5 with the Royal Stables). kingshotmastery.com says every 12 minutes (6 with the Stables).
- March speed charges: the KingShot Wiki says one charge a minute up to 10. kingshotmastery.com says you start with 5 and can hold up to 30.
- Opening: the KingShot Wiki prefers teleporting together to the middle. It also lists rallying from the safe zone, or attacking players for the first 10 minutes, as alternatives.
- Troop ratio: only the KingShot Wiki gives one. kingshotmastery.com gives none.