I was on The Best Defense Is... and I came across a thread that said that using low stacks was the best way to defeat the AI but I have tried and I was unable to beat the AI any faster than by using my usual method of mobilizing to block enemy defenses and moving across the whole front (not sure if it is the best idea, but at least I'm on Luck be a Lady be a Lady now but I still haven't completed the Best Defense though I am winning at it). Can somebody give me more of an idea of how this low stack strategy works and how to be better at Warzone in general

Also, some people were able to win some community games like Boughtsoul, Time to Take Many Risks and a Panama game in far less turns than I am able to complete them in. Why is that?

Lastly, I have heard you can manipulate AI behavior to win games, how do you do that?

Thread link

https://www.warzone.com/Forum/309808-u-beat-best-defensethank-u

Edited 1/5/2024 22:56:47

Understand what all the settings are and what they do https://www.warzone.com/wiki/Settings

Know AI (prod 2.0 with randomness) behaviour https://www.warzone.com/wiki/AI.

Take a look at strategy guides https://www.warzone.com/Forum/688994-strategy-guides.

There’s things on YouTube as well (search for Warlight, not Warzone for better results).

Wow i know that guy from the thread!!
Such a smart Singleplayer player.

jokes aside.
I cant really tell what you do wrong and i dont have to much to add to what i said then aside from maybe rewording it.
Showcasing how your "typical" play is and your "low stacks" play is would help identifying what you did wrong.

As the linked game in the thread shows, even when the AI has more income its easily exploitable without using any stacks due to its order priority, territory priority

"The best defense is..." is not the best exemple to try the usual method to exploit the AI behaviour as it has modified defense/attack killrates than normal.
So to the general principles you sometimes will have to tweak your strategy to improve the result.
I agree with Roi in the general explanation of the linked thread.
If I may give an advice, keep very well differentiated what is a good playing in single player levels and what is a good playing in Warzone in general.
Playing with the warzone AI is very different from playing with other humans. AI is very predictable in his behaviour and as Roi said it only act based on the front it sees, not based on what can happen.
To manipulate AI behaviour, knowing how th AI will act in general, just play in a way that will produce the result you want. For exemple if you want two other AI deploy more and attacking each other, don't create big stacks that the AI will target.

I am trying to show you my single-player game but I can't

But generally my strategy revolves around conquering every territory in sight initially while attacking all enemy territories with relatively equally big 10+ stacks, gaining more income and increasing stack numbers until the AI can't resist and is ended with a 100+ stack occupying its last territory or defeating its commander

Edited 1/6/2024 03:41:16

well, when talking about "low stacks" really the idea is "no stacks at all".

You basicly want to have as little units on the enemy AI as possible because the less you have, the less the AI will deploy against you (unless it has a ton of units left)
And especially on templates where attacking has a higher killrate, you always want to attack. So if you are ever "just defending" chances are its the wrong choice.

but using no-stacks doesn't really work later in the game. when should I start using stacks? how big should my no-stacks be? should I just use 1 unit to conquer enemy territories?

Edited 1/6/2024 17:38:54

"but using no-stacks doesn't really work later in the game."

idk when "late game" for you is.
Id split the stages between early (no enemy contact); mid (enemy contact, but the other AIs will also be fighting each other); late game (you have a huge income lead and can just bulldoze)
In early you just spread everywhere, midgame you keep your units as low as possible so the AIs prioritise fighting each other, late game it doesnt matter anymore.

"when should I start using stacks?"
When the opponent has a stack on you / when you have a high target (breaking a bonus / killing comm) / when youu have more income to deploy after you already deployed the minimum everywhere

"how big should my no-stacks be?"
Always as low as possible. There is no magic number as the gamestate literally changes everyturn with your income / the AI income changing and the units on the frontline always changing.

"should I just use 1 unit to conquer enemy territories?"
No, only when you are certain it works or if it doesnt matter

If you have any other questions, it be just easier to show you on discord of me beating it quickly.

That advice helps but in your previewed game you didn't expand everywhere and you still were able to defeat the AI

I feel like the low stacks strategy for me stops working by mid-game (when all neutrals are occupied and an AI has been knocked out of the game (by me)) because the AI starts stacking which defeats my low stacks so I'm forced to make bigger stacks

instead of using medium sized stacks everywhere should I just expand with one stack at first to break a bonus and then expand more?

I also don't use discord anymore because I don't feel like it.

Edited 1/6/2024 21:07:56

Hm, I have a feeling that there is a huge demand for a guide to beat the Warzone Prod AI. Knowing how to play in general helps (@Loxageter: I'm a bit afraid what "expanding everywhere" means) but there certainly are patterns in the Prod AI which can get abused.

What kind of patterns?


Watching AI play games by themselves doesn't help

Edited 1/7/2024 02:04:32

Should I just attack in stacks of 5, 6, and 7 until endgame like in this video?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4-V6MuvGQ4