There are two limits here.

1) Any non-siege unit attacking a building can only do a maximum of 250 points per attack.

2) In non-skirmish games, unit attacks can only yield a maximum of 1,000 points plus bonuses for levels.
It should be noted that a retaliating unit has NO max damage.

When a unit attack DOES hit the max damage limit, a 'modifier' is employed. To keep the fight fair, all damage done is reduced using the same ratio until the attack DOES meet the max damage limit.

Example:

I attack a stack, and do 3,000 damage. The defender does 1,500 damage back.
Modifier is used - both sides are divided by 3:

I now do 1,000 damage, the other stack does 500 back.

The modifier:- Every level a unit gets extends it's max damage by 20 points. So a level 11 unit can then do 1,200 damage.

Siege units have no limt on the damage they can do to buildings. If you have a catapult stack that can do 5,000 damage, then that's what it does. Only the normal combat modifers apply, NOT max damage.

Siege = Battering rams, Catapults.
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Now you know the rules, here's how to exploit them!

Part 1: Bigger-than-normal stacks.

As you should hopefully know, you can attack whenevr your unit has 40% or more battle points (BP).
So, in theory, if you make it so that 40% of your full attack strength just so happens to be the same as your max damage, you'll be able to attack more often at full strength (to get 40% BP only needs 40% of a turn, rather than the full 100%).
The down side is that you end up with less stacks, and you could simply use more stacks instead of logging in more often...! :-)

Part 2: Smaller-than-normal stacks.

There's one VERY good reason to use reduced size stacks. Many of the unit types get bonuses of damage, be it the rock-scissors-paper bonus or the size bonus of the ballista - but the one thing you can be sure of....the bonus is rendered ineffective if you go over the max damage. True - the modifier ensures it's not totally wasted - but that still limits the amount of damage you can do to your opponent in a short space of time. Even worse if it's a 'free shot' like ranged troops and Knights get - there's nothing to modify against, so you lose your bonus completely!
To a lesser extent, you can use small stacks to wreak havoc on structures - but unless you know what you're doing, it's not advised as the stack size needed to do exactly 250 damage will be incredibly small and very easy to kill! :-)

Thus ends the lecture on siege troops and max damage :-)
(unless there's more to add...!)
I've no idea what will be in the next lecture, I'll decide nearer the time :-)

uh ctd, I thought that a lvl 11 troop could do 1,220 dammage, not 1,200. 11*20=220+1,000=1,220

That would suggest a level 1 troop could do 1,020 damage, which isn't the case afaik....

ah I see your point, thanks for the clarification.

What if the attacker is a ranged unit and the defender is a huge stack? Since there's no damage dealt in retaliation, is the modifier still applied?

As above. The modifier is used, but of course the '0' side of the damage equation can't be reduced - so you're the only loser :-)

So 3,000 damage is cut down to 1,000 - and 0 is cut down to 0

bumped for newbies

kiching!

you can find CTDs lessons at http:www.waronliner.com

perhaps easier for newbs? i dont know.

*bump*

*Bump* for our Newbies

10: BUMP
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