Defense accounts play a crucial role in Travian: Legends. A strong defender can influence the outcome of battles, protect alliance assets, and keep key areas secure. This guide explains how to develop a defense-focused account, how to specialize your villages, and how to adapt to different gameworld types.
What Is Expected From a Defensive Player?
As a defender, your value comes from helping your alliance react quickly and reliably. You are generally expected to:
Send defensive support when requested.
Snipe waves when needed.
Stay available during critical hours or make sure sitter access covers those times.
These expectations ensure your alliance can respond to enemy operations effectively.
Defense Account Specializations
There are several common ways to specialize a defense account. The best choice depends on your alliance, nearby threats, available resources, and your chosen tribe.
1. Infantry-Only Defense
Useful for:
Early game, when infantry is cheap and quick to train
World Wonder and artefact defense
Situations where defense travel distances are short
Battles where sheer defensive numbers matter more than speed
Development notes:
Train infantry in almost every village
Build and upgrade Barracks and Hospital
Skip Stables
Tournament Square around level 15
2. Cavalry-Only Defense
Useful for:
Large or spread-out alliances
Gameworlds with high activity
Experienced players who can react quickly
Development notes:
Train cavalry in every second or third village
Build and upgrade Stables and Hospital
Skip Barracks
Tournament Square around level 15
3. Mixed Infantry and Cavalry
A balanced option that fits most gameworld situations.
Less ideal early game due to resource cost.
Development notes:
Train both infantry and cavalry in the same village
Upgrade both Barracks and Stables
Can combine with other approaches (e.g., only a few villages produce both types)
4. Hybrid Defense Account
A defense-focused account that also trains a small attacking army in one village.
Useful for:
Players with strong economies
Alliance operations where occasional offensive help matters
Experienced players who want to contribute in all areas
Development notes:
One offensive village with infantry, cavalry, rams, catapults, and chiefs
Defensive villages follow one of the earlier specializations
Requires more gold than a pure defense account
Note: Most defensive accounts mix tactics rather than sticking to just one. Combining infantry-only, cavalry-only, and mixed villages is common and often effective. Always adapt to the gameworld situation.
Developing a Defense Account
Key principles for economic and military balance:
Keep approximately 40% of your production for continued development.
Avoid training large troop numbers until at least one (ideally two) villages are fully built.
If you spawn in a hostile area, these rules may need to be ignored for safety.
Starting with an infantry-only focus helps you build an early defensive pool without slowing your economy too much.
Capitals rarely have enough building slots for proper defense specialization—use them for resource storage and development instead, and focus defense production in nearby villages.
Hero Equipment
Defensive players benefit from a diverse set of hero items to boost troop performance. You can find recommendations in the hero equipment guide.
Defense on Special Gameworlds
Different features in special servers require adjustments to your defensive approach.
Troop Merging & Forwarding
Forwarding allows you to reposition defense between villages without recalling it home.
Tactics often include:
Settling further from central battles
Keeping 1–2 villages in “hot zones” for fast reaction
Ancient Powers
If your alliance controls small ancient powers, every defense village must have a treasury level 10 to activate them.
European Map & Region Control
Defenders must help secure regions.
On these servers:
Accounts are more spread across the map
Settling in clusters (groups of villages close together) is strongly recommended
Once you have a four-village cluster, you can begin training defense reliably
Summary
Defense accounts are essential to alliance success. Whether you focus on infantry, cavalry, or a mix, your main goal is to contribute reliable, well-timed support. Effective defense depends on planning, coordination, and adaptation to the ongoing server situation. By developing your villages carefully and choosing a specialization that fits your alliance’s needs, you help shape the outcome of the game for your entire team.