Part of the Alliance Series:

Quick Answer

Alliance Duel is a season-linked alliance warfare event with opponent selection and an hour-long duel. Prepare around the enemy's Control Center and Towers, the current scoring objectives and your alliance's chosen battle time.

Version 1.20.00 introduced full healing or revival of casualties from the specified Duel battles after the warfare window. That protection is tied to the event's eligible battles. It is not a promise that every open-world attack before, after or outside the Duel is protected.

Overview

Duel is different from the outpost-based Alliance Showdown and the task-based Alliance Throwdown. It also has a separate purpose from Capital Clash, which involves the Capital and state leadership.

The event is integrated with seasonal progression, so confirm that it is actually active in your state. An old calendar from another season is not enough to schedule your alliance's war.

Before Selecting an Opponent

Leadership should check four things in the current event panel: selectable opponents, their relevant buildings, the declaration or investment deadline, and the available warfare time.

The 1.20.00 opponent-selection rules normally look three leaderboard places above and below. When truces leave too few opponents, the range can extend to six; investment can be disabled when no eligible opponent exists. Treat this as a versioned rule, not permission to declare on any alliance on the map.

The practical checks matter as much as ranking:

  • Will your active rally leads be online? Alliance Power includes people who may miss the duel.
  • Does the opponent have the required buildings? A destruction objective needs a valid target.
  • Can your members reach the assigned target? Long travel creates missed reinforcements and split attacks.
  • Is the choice coordinated with your state's agreements? A technically eligible declaration can still conflict with an alliance's diplomacy.

Warfare Roles

Role Job during the duel Avoid
Caller Name the objective, coordinates and next action Several contradictory targets in chat
Rally leader Set the rally and request a specific fill Starting before joiners are ready
Joiner Fill the announced rally promptly Solo attacks that strand the available troops
Defender Reinforce the assigned Control Center or Tower Moving away without telling the caller
Scout or coordinator Watch enemy movement and report useful changes Reposting every minor map movement

Use the march capacity guide to prepare troops and slots before the window. Capacity left in a gathering march does not help the rally currently waiting for reinforcements.

Target Choice and Scoring

Read the active rules before assuming settlement attacks earn points. Developer adjustments removed settlement-attack Points and Merits in the early Duel redesign; later troop recovery changes did not, by themselves, make settlement attacks a scoring objective again.

Prioritize the target that advances the visible task or score. If a building objective is the goal, chasing a retreating settlement may consume the hour without completing it. Tell members when to reinforce, when to launch and when to stop; the end of the event is as important as the beginning.

A practical preparation message can include: start time in UTC, target coordinates, rally lead names, troop preset, reserve defenders and the withdrawal instruction. This is an alliance planning template, not an extra game requirement.

Troop Recovery: What Changed

Earlier developer feedback described a 90% return of killed troops. The later 1.20.00 rule covers all casualties from attacking enemy settlements, Control Centers, Towers and Wilderness fights within the hour-long Duel, including Hospital, Enlistment Office and killed troops. Later feedback also described the change to full return.

Check your state's event rule before fighting, especially after a seasonal redesign. Keep battle reports and recovery mail if the result differs. Do not send attacks after the protected warfare timer ends on the assumption they will be included.

Recovery also does not make every action free: relocating, consuming boosts or spending healing speed-ups can still use items. Separate troop return from the cost of participating.

F2P and Spender Plans

F2P: contribute through prompt rally fills, reinforcement and communication. Set a limit on relocators and speed-ups before the war. A coordinated supporting march can be more useful than an isolated attack against a stronger account.

Spenders: use stronger marches to complete the shared objective rather than measuring success only by damage. Keep the roster informed when changing target; a powerful lead does little for joiners who cannot reach the next rally in time.

Common Mistakes

  • Applying the old 90% rule without checking the later update.
  • Assuming the full-return rule protects unrelated attacks.
  • Declaring without checking online attendance and target buildings.
  • Fighting settlements for points that the active rules do not award.
  • Confusing Duel preparation with Showdown registration.

FAQ

How long is Alliance Duel warfare? The versioned Duel rules describe an hour-long battle. Confirm the session time and any newer seasonal rules in your state.

Do troops return after Alliance Duel? Version 1.20.00 provides full healing or revival for the specified battles during the duel. Verify the active rule and keep recovery mail.

Can I demolish our target building during the battle? The early redesign prevented voluntary demolition of an alliance's Control Center and Tower during warfare. Do not plan around demolition as an escape route.

Is Alliance Duel the same as Alliance Showdown? No. Duel is seasonal warfare; revamped Showdown is an outpost occupation competition.

Key Takeaways

  • Choose an opponent your active roster can contest.
  • Give every participant a clear objective and rally instruction.
  • Read the exact casualty rule and stop when its window ends.
  • Judge the result by event objectives, not random settlement damage.