1. Why Army Composition Matters More Than Army Size
In The Settlers Online, a beginner looks at total unit count. A veteran looks at ratios.
Consider this scenario:
- Army A: 300 Soldiers, 0 Archers, 0 Cavalry, 0 Longbows
- Army B: 150 Soldiers, 150 Archers, 0 Cavalry, 0 Longbows
Army A has 300 total units. Army B has 300 total units. Same size.
Who wins? Run it in your Settlers Combat Simulator. Army B wins decisively. Why? The archers deal ranged damage for multiple rounds before the soldiers close the distance. By the time Army A’s soldiers reach melee, half are dead.
The lesson: A well-balanced army with the right ratios beats a larger but poorly composed army almost every time.
This guide gives you proven ratios that work. Plug them into your simulator. Test them. Then adapt them to your specific situation.
2. Understanding the Four Unit Types (Quick Refresher)
Before we dive into formulas, let us align on what each unit does in the Settlers Combat Simulator.
| Unit | Icon | Role | Best Against | Worst Against | Cost Tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soldier | ⚔️ | Balanced melee | Archers, Longbows | Cavalry (sometimes) | Low |
| Archer | 🏹 | Ranged damage | Soldiers, Pikemen | Cavalry | Low-Medium |
| Cavalry | 🐎 | Shock, flanking | Archers, Longbows | Fortified defenders | High |
| Longbow | 🧙 | Elite ranged | Heavily armored units | Cavalry, massed archers | Very High |
Important note: Your simulator currently uses four unit types. For simplicity, we treat “Longbows” as upgraded archers with higher damage but similar vulnerabilities.
Cost awareness: Cavalry and Longbows are expensive to train and replace. Soldiers and Archers are cheap. A winning formula that relies entirely on expensive units might win the battle but lose the war economically.
3. The 7 Winning Formulas (Tested Combinations)
Each formula below includes:
- The composition (numbers for a 500-unit total army – scale up or down as needed)
- Best used when (situation)
- Expected outcome (against a typical mixed defender)
- Weaknesses (what beats this composition)
Formula 1: The Balanced All-Rounder
Composition: 200 Soldiers + 150 Archers + 100 Cavalry + 50 Longbows
Ratios: 40% / 30% / 20% / 10%
Best used when: You are attacking an unknown or mixed enemy composition. This is your default “I don’t know what they have” army.
Expected outcome (vs. typical 500-unit mixed defender): Win with 40-50% casualties.
Weaknesses: Does not excel against any specific composition. A specialized defender (pure archers or pure cavalry) can beat it.
When to use: First attack of a campaign, PvP when scouting failed, general purpose offense.
Resource efficiency score: 7/10 (balanced cost)
Formula 2: The Archer Swarm (Ranged Dominance)
Composition: 100 Soldiers + 350 Archers + 50 Cavalry + 0 Longbows
Ratios: 20% / 70% / 10% / 0%
Best used when: The enemy has mostly slow melee units (Soldiers, Pikemen) and few cavalry.
Expected outcome (vs. heavy melee defender): Win with 20-30% casualties. The archers decimate the enemy before they close distance.
Weaknesses: Extremely vulnerable to cavalry. If the enemy has 100+ cavalry, retreat and reform.
When to use: Attacking adventure camps with known melee compositions, raiding undefended outposts.
Pro tip: Keep your 50 cavalry in reserve to counter any enemy cavalry that try to flank your archers.
Resource efficiency score: 9/10 (archers are cheap, low casualties)
Formula 3: The Cavalry Blitz (Speed Attack)
Composition: 50 Soldiers + 100 Archers + 350 Cavalry + 0 Longbows
Ratios: 10% / 20% / 70% / 0%
Best used when: The enemy has mostly archers and longbows, and minimal pikemen.
Expected outcome (vs. archer-heavy defender): Win with 50-60% casualties. You will lose many cavalry, but the enemy archers die even faster.
Weaknesses: Dies horribly to pikemen or fortified positions. Never use this against a defender with a 1.5x fortification bonus.
When to use: Open field battles against ranged opponents, hitting undefended resource camps.
Warning: This is an expensive composition. Cavalry cost more than soldiers or archers. Only use when victory is guaranteed or the target is very valuable.
Resource efficiency score: 4/10 (high cost, high casualties)
Formula 4: The Fortress Breaker (Vs. Fortified Defenders)
Composition: 300 Soldiers + 100 Archers + 50 Cavalry + 50 Longbows
Ratios: 60% / 20% / 10% / 10%
Best used when: The defender has a fortification bonus (1.2x or 1.5x) and you cannot avoid attacking.
Expected outcome (vs. fortified 500-unit defender): Narrow win with 60-70% casualties. You will lose most of your army. Only attack if the target is critical.
Weaknesses: Any defender without fortification will take heavy losses, but you will still win. The problem is efficiency, not victory.
When to use: Assaulting enemy main bases, campaign missions with fortified bosses, destroying watchtowers.
Pro tip: Before committing, run the simulation with and without the defender bonus. If the difference is large, consider bringing a leader (+10% attack) to offset.
Resource efficiency score: 3/10 (very high casualties, only for must-win battles)
Formula 5: The No-Cavalry Economy Build
Composition: 250 Soldiers + 250 Archers + 0 Cavalry + 0 Longbows
Ratios: 50% / 50% / 0% / 0%
Best used when: You are low on resources and cannot afford expensive units.
Expected outcome (vs. typical mixed defender): Win with 55-65% casualties. You will win, but you will lose many cheap units.
Weaknesses: Struggles against cavalry-heavy enemies. The enemy cavalry will tear through your archers.
When to use: Early game, after a major loss when rebuilding, for low-risk clearing of weak camps.
Pro tip: Use this composition to soften difficult targets. Send the economy build first to wear down the enemy, then finish with a small elite force.
Resource efficiency score: 8/10 (very cheap to replace, even with high casualties)
Formula 6: The Longbow Elite (High-Value Target Killer)
Composition: 100 Soldiers + 100 Archers + 50 Cavalry + 250 Longbows
Ratios: 20% / 20% / 10% / 50%
Best used when: The enemy has a few very high-value units (bosses, elite guards) mixed with chaff.
Expected outcome (vs. elite-heavy defender): Win with 30-40% casualties. Longbows focus down high-value targets first.
Weaknesses: Extremely expensive to build and replace. If you lose this army, you will feel it.
When to use: Adventure boss fights, PvP against an opponent who uses many longbows themselves, attacking well-defended resource nodes.
Warning: Longbows are vulnerable to cavalry. If the enemy has 50+ cavalry, add more of your own cavalry to protect your longbows.
Resource efficiency score: 5/10 (high cost, low casualties if used correctly)
Formula 7: The Bait and Counter (For PvP Defense)
Composition: 150 Soldiers + 50 Archers + 300 Cavalry + 0 Longbows
Ratios: 30% / 10% / 60% / 0%
Best used when: You are defending against an attacker you have scouted. This is not for the simulator’s attack mode – this is for setting your garrison.
Expected outcome (when attacked by typical balanced army): Defender wins with 40-50% casualties. The cavalry counter-charge destroys the attacker’s archers.
Weaknesses: Loses to a dedicated pikemen attack. If you see your opponent building many spearmen, switch to more archers.
When to use: Setting your main base garrison, defending a key forward outpost, baiting an overconfident attacker.
Pro tip: Keep this army composition hidden. Let the attacker scout your base and see mostly soldiers. When they attack with archers, your hidden cavalry spring the trap.
Resource efficiency score: 6/10 (moderate cost, effective deterrent)
4. How to Discover Your Own Winning Formulas (Using the Simulator)
The seven formulas above are starting points. Your specific situation (resources, enemy, map, objectives) may require customization. Here is how to use your Settlers Combat Simulator to discover your own winning formulas.
Step 1: Start with a Template
Pick the formula closest to your situation. Input those numbers into the attacker column.
Step 2: Run the Simulation
Click “Simulate Battle.” Record:
- Winner
- Attacker casualties
- Defender casualties
Step 3: Adjust One Variable at a Time
Change only one unit type by ±20%. For example:
- “What if I replace 50 soldiers with 50 archers?”
- “What if I add 30 cavalry and remove 30 longbows?”
Run the simulation again. Compare casualties.
Step 4: Track the Casualty Ratio
Calculate: Enemy casualties ÷ Your casualties
- Ratio > 2.0 = Excellent. You are trading very efficiently.
- Ratio 1.0 to 2.0 = Good. Acceptable.
- Ratio < 1.0 = Poor. You are losing more than you kill.
Your goal is to maximize this ratio, not just to win.
Step 5: Find the Minimum
Once you have a winning composition, start reducing unit counts. Remove 10 soldiers. Run simulation. Still winning? Remove 10 more. Repeat until you find the smallest army that still wins reliably.
Example discovery process:
| Attempt | Composition | Result | Casualty Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 200/150/100/50 | Win (narrow) | 1.2 |
| 2 | 180/150/100/50 | Win | 1.1 |
| 3 | 160/150/100/50 | Loss | 0.8 |
| 4 | 160/160/100/50 | Win | 1.0 |
Conclusion: You need at least 160 soldiers and 160 archers. The minimal winning army is 160/160/100/50.
5. Common Enemy Compositions and Their Counters
Use this table when you scout a specific enemy composition. Match the left column to what you see, then build the recommended counter.
| If Enemy Has… | Build This Counter | Expected Casualty Ratio |
|---|---|---|
| Pure Soldiers (no archers/cavalry) | 30% Soldiers + 70% Archers | 3.0+ (crushing win) |
| Pure Archers | 20% Soldiers + 80% Cavalry | 2.5+ |
| Pure Cavalry | 50% Soldiers + 50% Archers | 2.0+ |
| Soldiers + Archers (balanced) | Balanced (Formula 1) | 1.5 |
| Soldiers + Cavalry | 40% Archers + 40% Soldiers + 20% Longbows | 1.8 |
| Archers + Cavalry | 30% Soldiers + 70% Cavalry | 1.6 |
| Fortified (any composition) | Fortress Breaker (Formula 4) | 0.8-1.2 |
| Boss + weak guards | Longbow Elite (Formula 6) | 2.0+ |
Pro tip: When in doubt, scout again. The best counter is useless if you misread the enemy composition.
Settlers Combat Simulator Calculator
6. The Resource Efficiency Score (Winning on a Budget)
Winning is good. Winning while preserving expensive units is better.
Your Settlers Combat Simulator shows you how many units die, but not which units. You must track that mentally.
Example: Two different winning armies against the same defender:
| Army | Composition | Casualties | Expensive Units Lost? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Army X | 200/150/100/50 | 210 total | 45 cavalry + 20 longbows lost |
| Army Y | 300/200/0/0 | 280 total | 0 expensive units lost |
Army X lost fewer total units (210 vs. 280), but lost expensive cavalry and longbows. Army Y lost more total units, but all were cheap soldiers and archers.
Which is better? Army Y. Cheap units are easy to replace. Expensive units are not.
The Resource Efficiency Score formula:
text
Score = (Enemy casualties) / (Your soldier casualties × 1 + Your archer casualties × 1.5 + Your cavalry casualties × 3 + Your longbow casualties × 4)
Higher score = better resource efficiency.
Practical rule: If your winning army loses more than 20% expensive units (cavalry + longbows), try a cheaper composition. You might win the battle but lose the ability to fight the next one.
7. Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use these formulas exactly as written?
Yes, but scale them to your army size. If you have 250 total units, use 50% of the numbers in each formula (e.g., Formula 1 becomes 100/75/50/25).
Which formula is best for beginners?
Formula 5 (No-Cavalry Economy Build) – 250 Soldiers + 250 Archers. It is cheap, easy to remember, and wins against most early-game enemies.
What is the single best all-purpose composition?
Formula 1 (Balanced All-Rounder) – 200/150/100/50. It has no extreme weakness and performs adequately against everything.
My simulator result shows a loss with your formula. Why?
Possible reasons:
- The defender has a fortification bonus you did not set in the options.
- You are outnumbered more than 2:1.
- The enemy composition is very different from the “typical” we assumed.
Fix: Use the simulator’s iterative process (Section 4 above) to adjust the formula to your specific enemy.
How do I counter a player who only uses longbows?
Longbows are expensive and vulnerable to cavalry. Use Formula 3 (Cavalry Blitz) – 50/100/350/0. Your cavalry will close the distance quickly and slaughter the longbows.
Is there a “perfect” army that beats everything?
No. That is intentional game design. Every composition has a counter. The best players adapt their army to each specific enemy.
8. Conclusion: Build Smarter, Not Bigger
You now have seven proven starting points for your Settlers Combat Simulator experiments. But the real power is not memorizing these formulas – it is learning the process of discovering your own.
Your action plan:
- Bookmark your simulator at
https://smartunitcalculator.com/settlers-combat-simulator/ - Test Formula 1 (Balanced All-Rounder) against your next target
- Use the iterative process from Section 4 to improve the ratio
- Track your resource efficiency – cheap wins are better than expensive ones
- Build a personal cheat sheet of the 3-4 compositions that work best for your playstyle
The player who simulates before attacking wins more battles, loses fewer expensive units, and advances faster. That player can be you.
Now open your Settlers Combat Simulator and start testing these formulas.