Command An Army beginner guide

1. 1Finish the tutorialIt teaches capture points and the order system, and the redeem UI only appears once you are in the lobby.
2. 2Bank 400 free gemsJoin the official group, like the game and favourite it. This is a one-off and takes under a minute.
3. 3Redeem every confirmed codeEleven codes are carried by two or more dated trackers as of 2026-11-03, and together they are worth 19,900 gems. Each one works once per account, and the pool turns over fast enough that a code you save for later can simply stop working.
4. 4Level the budget fourArcher, Shieldman, a spear unit and Scout Rider. All are cheap on stars and give you an anchor, ranged fire, anti-cavalry and a flanker.
5. 5Pick a class deliberatelySwitching costs gems. Read the three class descriptions before you commit rather than after.
6. 6Learn Hold and RushHolding a position is how defences survive, and Rush is what makes cavalry worth bringing.

Three traps to avoid

• Selling duplicates. They are the only way to ascend, and evolving is locked behind third ascension.
• Reading only the entry count. Three expensive troops can blow the star cap that four cheap ones fit inside.
• Walking your archers into open ground. Cavalry exists to punish exactly that.

Your first four matches

Treat the opening games as measurement rather than competition. After each match write down one thing: which unit killed your army most often. That single note decides what you counter next, and it beats any generic tip list, because the answer changes with the lobby you are in.

• Match one: stay with the group and push the objective even if you lose. You are learning capture timing, not combat maths.
• Match two: place the Archer behind your frontline and watch how much longer it lives. That difference is the entire reason shields exist.
• Match three: put your frontline on Hold instead of letting it chase, and see whether your defence stops collapsing.
• Match four: send the Scout Rider around the side with Rush and note what actually kills it. That answer is what your next upgrade should address.

What to aim for at each stage

• Early

  Field two cheap units rather than one expensive one. A small star limit punishes luxury picks, and two roles beat one strong role while you are still learning the maps.

• Level 20

  Your first evolution unlocks. Pick the unit whose job you already rely on - for most players that means the ranged main, because burn damage carries whole matches.

• Level 30 and up

  Stop upgrading and start composing. A four-slot army covering anchor, ranged, anti-ranged and anti-cavalry beats four upgraded versions of one job.

Two things that cost new players gems and units

• Speed-running matches for gems. A beginner guide recorded on 2026-09-17 puts a fast win at roughly 50 to 60 gems and a long, drawn-out fight at around 300 even when you lose it. Match length pays better than a quick victory, so there is little reason to race the clock on a match you are already winning.
• Ascending with a levelled copy. The same guide warns that putting a levelled unit into the duplicate slot deletes it. Favourite the units you are keeping, check whether you already hold an ascended copy, and only then reach for the sell button: selling returns gems, but it does not return the levels.

Beginner FAQ

What should I do in my first ten minutes?

Finish the tutorial, then claim the one-off 400 gems by joining the group and liking and favouriting the game, and redeem every confirmed code. That gives you summon currency before you have played a real match.

Which units should I level first?

The four one-star and two-star picks creators agree on: Archer, Shieldman, Spearman or Halberdier, and Scout Rider. They are cheap enough to field under a small star limit and three of them evolve into units you will use later.

Should I sell units I do not use?

No. Duplicates ascend units, ascension gates evolution, and selling them just means earning them again later.

When should I try ranked?

Once you own a shield unit, an anti-archer unit, and something that shoots. Ranked picks a random map and a random attack or defence role, so a generalist four-unit army matters more than any single upgrade.