This page is rather dated. The general tips still apply, but the specific base designs are pretty old.
- There is no perfect base design. There will always be a strong attacker that will 5-star you.
- When you are doing attacks, notice bases that are hard to beat. Take screenshots, then look later to steal ideas.
- Watch replays of attacks against you. See what weak points attackers are using.
- Use friendly challenges to get advice from your Alliance members.
- Use walls to divide your base into compartments.
- One-big-wall-around everything bases are easy to defeat.
- You can't protect everything. Decide what is important to you.
- Protecting your Town Center makes it harder for opponents to get five stars. But people who do attack you will be more likely commit to a full attack.
- Putting your Town Center outside your walls encourages "hit-and-run" attacks by opponents who just want a quick win. It can save you both medals and loot, but you won't get many victories.
- Don't be afraid to experiment. Sometimes weird bases work. You have 3 normal base slots and 3 war base slots. Try some things to see what you like.
- Your war base should always protect your Town Center and make it harder for opponents to get 5 stars. Here is a funny and informative video (disclaimer: I did not make this video) on war base design
- Starting around Enlightenment or Industrial Age, build a Road Base (see below)
- Consider Looted Resource Refund when designing your base
What is a Road Base? The more buildings you have on roads that are connected to your Town Center, the more loot your road produces. A "Road Base" is a base designed to get as many buildings as possible connected to your Town Center by roads. It is usually terrible for defense. Here's the trick: you use one of your slots for your Road Base. When you want to collect from your road, switch to your Road Base. You'll get the full bonus, just as if your buildings had all been on the roads the whole time. Then immediately switch back to your regular base. It only takes a few seconds, and it makes a big difference in road loot.
Here are a few base designs.
The two open bases ("Town 1" and "War Base 2") put traps in the wall gaps. Attackers will tend to hit many traps. This design is useful if you have weak walls. A downside is if they do get to your oil, they can get it all at once.
The standard war base ("War Base 3") protects the town center and spreads everything else out so it takes awhile to destroy.
The spiral base ("War Base 1") is a different variant on the same idea. People tend to attack the coliseum side first, so most of the traps are there.
The road base - well, you read it above. I included a detail with the town center removed so you can see how I got everything on a road.
My Looted Resource Refund base, where I literally try to give away as many resources as possible, because I get more back via the defense log, and therefore make loot by being attacked.
