In many modern variations of the genre, players are given the freedom to design their own defensive layouts.

A poorly optimized base can be three-starred in seconds, regardless of how high-level your defensive buildings are.

Whether you are protecting your gold storage or defending your core objective, these principles apply universally.

Guiding the Enemy

Instead of spreading your damage evenly, funneling forces the entire enemy army into a concentrated kill zone.

To create a successful funnel, place non-defensive buildings (like resource collectors) on the outside to distract early deployers.

• Never make a perfectly symmetrical square base.
• Use high-hitpoint buildings as meat shields.
• Keep your splash damage centralized.

The Multi-Ring Approach

A fatal mistake is enclosing your entire base inside one massive, single ring of walls.

The core compartment should always house your main objective, guarded by your absolutely strongest, highest-level defenses.

Evolving Your Base

A base layout that was impenetrable last month might be completely useless against the newest flying hero.

Take pride in your fortress, and enjoy watching the replays of attackers failing miserably against your strategic genius.