For beginners, the various combat stats in Forge of Empires can be overwhelming at first: Why is there a red and a blue army? What's the blue side even for if you're almost always attacking? And why has its importance changed so dramatically over the last few years?
This guide untangles the combat system from the ground up: what red and blue values mean, where they apply — and how to efficiently boost your Combat Power (CP) through Great Buildings and potions.
1. The Color Codes: Red vs. Blue (Sword & Shield)
The game fundamentally distinguishes between two main categories of armies, each with its own Attack (Sword) and Defense (Shield) values:
- 🔴 Red Values (attacking army): Determine the combat power of the units you use to actively attack.
- 🔵 Blue Values (defending army): Determine the combat power of the units that defend your city when neighbors attack you.
Info: Blue was once only used for city defense and was therefore nearly useless — it got ignored while players pushed Red exclusively. Later, GEx came along (Stage 5 was initially defense-only), then GG-specific bonuses, and eventually QI. At some point everything settled into a roughly 50/50 attack/defense split — in QI as separate tracks, GEx and GG are randomly rolled.
Each of the two armies has two stats:
| Stat | Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Attack Strength | ⚔️ Sword | How hard the army hits |
| Defense Strength | 🛡️ Shield | How well the army mitigates incoming damage |
That means you have a total of four values — red sword, red shield, blue sword, blue shield. Most bonuses affect both stats simultaneously (Att+Def), but not all of them do.
Where to find your values? All eight paired values (Attack/Defense for universal, GEx, GG and QI) can be found in the Town Hall under the Boost Overview.
In combat, the attack and defense values of both sides are compared — the result determines the damage dealt. Bonuses and special effects stack on top.
2. The Universal Combat Value (No Symbol)
The base value of your armies — without any additional symbol — is the universal combat value. It applies to everything except QI (QI runs completely independently, see Section 5).
Examples where the universal value applies directly:
- PvP in the neighborhood (attacks on other cities / city defense)
- Map of Continents
- Heroic Deeds
- Daily Quests
In GEx and GG, it serves as the base that mode-specific bonuses are added on top of (see Sections 3 & 4).
3. GEx Combat Power (Guild Expeditions)
Visual indicator: A small temple symbol next to the sword/shield.
There is no longer a fixed assignment of colors to stages or encounters. Instead, GEx is controlled by a new Trial system (Difficulty Trials). Before starting, you pick a trial difficulty level.
- Mixed requirements: On all difficulty levels, encounters can now demand either red or blue combat values.
- Weekly rotation: Which station requires which color changes every week ("rolled" / shuffled). You must now keep both combat value types balanced in parallel to get through flexibly.
Pro tip: If you only optimize one side, you'll hit a wall mid-expedition — the next encounter will suddenly demand the other color. Building up both armies evenly is mandatory.
4. GG Combat Power (Guild Battlegrounds)
Visual indicator: A small green flag next to the sword/shield. The color of the province banner on the map shows which combat power you need for that sector right now.
Every time a province is conquered and reappears on the map, the system "rolls" whether an offensive boost (Red) or a defensive boost (Blue) will be required to fight there.
Map Tendencies
The two GG maps have different probabilities:
| Map | Tendency |
|---|---|
| Volcano Archipelago | More offense-oriented — higher chance of red sectors |
| Waterfall Archipelago | More defense-oriented — significantly more blue sectors |
Applies to Both GG and GEx
Your total combat power per sector is now calculated as follows:
- Red sectors: Your universal red combat power + specific GG/GEx bonuses (Red)
- Blue sectors: Your universal blue combat power + specific GG/GEx bonuses (Blue)
The mode-specific bonuses are added on top of the universal base value.
5. QI Combat Power (Quantum Incursions)
Visual indicator: A fist symbol.
QI runs completely independently from the universal value and from any GG/GEx bonuses. You have to generate all your QI combat power directly through two sources:
Permanent Sources
When you play the cultural settlements, their main buildings grant fixed, permanent QI combat bonuses. The Eternal Market and increasingly event buildings also have QI combat values. This boosts your permanent QI base combat power — it applies in every season without any extra effort.
Temporary QI City (per Season)
When a QI season starts, you need to strategically level up your QI city:
- Decorations: These are your primary source of combat power directly within the settlement. They provide the necessary percentage boosts (Red or Blue) for your troops but consume Euphoria in return.
- Other buildings in the QI city provide additional bonuses depending on their type.
6. Boosting Combat Power Efficiently – Great Buildings & Potions
Great Buildings (the most important ones for combat power)
| GB | Effect | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Zeus Statue (2×3) | Combat Frenzy (Att+Def, attacker) | Tiny and cheap — a must-have as your first GB. With Prestige: GEx multiplier |
| Aachen Cathedral (4×6) | Combat Frenzy + Coins | Second part of the Trinity. With Prestige: GG attack multiplier |
| Castel del Monte (5×5) | Combat Frenzy + FP | Third part of the Trinity. With Prestige: QI attacker multiplier |
| Arctic Orangery (7×7) | Critical Hit (150 %) + FP | Extremely strong from level 134+. With Prestige: 150 % against other eras |
| Terracotta Army (4×6) | Advanced Tactics (Att+Def, both armies) | Broadest combat bonus — both roles, both stats. With Prestige: GEx multiplier |
| The Kraken (5×5) | First Strike + FP | Chance to eliminate an enemy unit before the battle even starts |
| Seed Vault (5×6) | Food production + Helping Hands | With Prestige: GG defender multiplier (Att+Def) |
| Himeji Castle (6×6) | War Spoils + Food | Loot source. With Prestige: GG defense multiplier |
The "Trinity" (Zeus Statue, Aachen Cathedral, Castel del Monte) are the three classic combat power GBs from the early days of the game. During the phase where many LGs lost their relevance, it was a matter of opinion whether to keep them — with the Prestige system they are regaining importance right now.
Effect names at a glance: Combat Frenzy = Att+Def (red), Fierce Resistance = Att+Def (blue), Advanced Tactics = Att+Def (red + blue) — the names describe which values are combined.
Prestige is a new feature currently being tested on the beta server. The exact assignments and values may still change before the live release.
Potions & Temporary Boosts
Potions grant time-limited percentage bonuses to Attack and/or Defense. They are found in your inventory; some event buildings yield them during daily harvest. Make sure you pick the right type — there are separate potions for GEx, GG, and QI.
Tavern: Offers a purchasable, activatable combat power boost of 10 % to 30 %, with durations of 30 minutes up to 24 hours. A maximum of two boosts can be active at the same time; the second one requires Diamonds. A 24-hour boost blocks that slot for a long time — and if a quest then asks you to activate a booster, that's annoying. So only use long boosts when you're sure you won't need a free slot during that period.
The Most Efficient Strategy
- Build and level the Trinity (Zeus → Aachen → CdM) — with the Prestige system their chances look good, but final values are still uncertain
- Level up the Arctic Orangery — The Critical Hit bonus (150 % damage) scales with level
- Cover both sides: Don't just optimize attack — the blue army is equally important in GEx and GBG (~50/50)
- Plan QI separately: Settlement main buildings for the base + decorations per season
TL;DR
There are two armies — 🔴 red (attacking) and 🔵 blue (defending) — each with a sword and a shield. The universal combat value (no symbol) is the base for neighborhood PvP, Continents, Heroic Deeds, and Daily Quests. GEx (temple symbol) mixes red/blue per encounter since the Trials update and rotates weekly — building both sides evenly is mandatory. GG and GEx add mode-specific bonuses on top of the universal value. QI (fist symbol) runs completely independently: combat power comes from settlement main buildings and event buildings, each season you boost with decorations in the temporary QI city.