Defense is one of the most crucial aspects of Going Medieval, and simply building walls isn’t enough. To withstand raids and sieges, you need a well-designed chokepoint that maximizes damage output while minimizing risk to your villagers. This guide provides practical strategies to build the most effective fortifications, from early-game skirmishes to late-game mass invasions.

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Understanding Enemy Pathfinding

Enemies follow specific patterns when approaching your settlement. These patterns shift based on the stage of the game:

1. Early-Game: Enemies attack from multiple angles before you have walls.
2. Mid-Game: With some walls in place, enemies will seek weak points, including alternate entrances used for mining operations.
3. Late-Game: Large groups will attack a single, fortified entrance, requiring optimized defenses.

While natural elevation advantages (mountains, hills) provide better control over enemy movements, strategic tower placement can help on open maps.

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Building Effective Defensive Structures

Early-Game: Utilizing Small Towers

• Construct a single-entry tower with stairs leading up to a small archer’s platform.
• Add merlons (small walls) for extra cover.
• Keep at least one melee fighter stationed on top for added protection.

Mid-Game: Fortified Entrances and Chokes

• Wall Off the Base: Create limited access points to control enemy movement.
• Strategic Tower Placement: Towers should cover key entrances and feature:
  • First floor: Main entrance
  • Second floor: Walls with open floors to allow archers to shoot below.
  • Third floor: Archer platform with merlons.
• Door Placement: Raiders attack doors and colonists near entrances but ignore walls. Use this to lure them into traps.

Late-Game: High-Efficiency Killing Zones

• Chokepoint Formation: Build an arc-shaped entrance instead of a straight-line funnel to maximize attack angles.
• Two-Handed Weapons:
  • Longswords and two-handed maces attack from two tiles away.
  • Use grated doors to allow attacks from behind cover.
• Maximize Archer Effectiveness:
  • Prioritize eliminating enemy archers first.
  • Increase the number of archers (recommended: 10+ in late-game).
• Shield Tactics: Avoid relying on shields, as two-handed weapons outperform them in direct melee combat.

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Optimizing Raids and Combat Effectiveness

• Pathfinding Issues: The current game AI limits the number of raiders actively attacking to 20-30 at a time. Maximize damage output to clear waves quickly.
• Expanding Archery Positions: Build walkways around the walls to allow archers to fire at incoming foes.
• Firing Line Setup: Arrange melee fighters in an arc formation to ensure that all can attack a single enemy at once.
• Backup Fighters: Keep additional melee units ready to replace injured soldiers mid-fight.

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Final Thoughts

By mastering chokepoints, archer positioning, and melee tactics, you can hold off even the largest raids. These strategies ensure efficient enemy elimination while minimizing casualties. For even greater success, focus on improving your base infrastructure and resource efficiency—because a strong army needs a strong foundation.

For a more extreme challenge, stay tuned for the Impossible Run series, where these tactics may not be an option!