Elphi'sAcademy
PvP March Layers: The Beginner’s Guide
Why layered marches work, how to build them without draining the primary damage mass, and why random handfuls of troops are not a strategy.
Learning Objectives
- Understand what a layer changes in combat.
- Separate standard layers from primary damage tiers.
- Test a march against appropriate targets and read the report.
Why This Matters
A PvP march is not a bucket filled with the highest tier you own. Evony resolves combat through troop types, tiers, range, speed, targeting, and repeated rounds. Layers create additional interactions and help the primary mass survive long enough to do its job.
Layering is also easy to misuse. If every layer is enormous, the march runs out of room for damage troops. If layers are random, they may add losses without adding meaningful protection or timing.
How Evony Actually Works
Each troop type and tier included in the march creates a separate combat layer. Small layers can absorb attacks, influence targeting, and change the order in which units engage.
The correct layer plan depends on march type. Standard ground, ranged, mounted, and siege attacks use broad small layers plus concentrated primary tiers. Siege bombs and specialized marches use different structures.
Step-by-Step Walkthrough
- Start with the total march size after all buffs and march-size increases are active.
- Add the standard small layers required by the tested template for every available troop type and tier.
- Calculate the space remaining after layers. Do not guess.
- Distribute the remaining capacity according to the march purpose and primary damage tiers.
- Save the preset with a clear name and verify it before every attack.
- Test against targets appropriate to the march. Read the report for damage, losses, surviving primary layers, and enemy composition.
- Adjust one variable at a time so you know what changed the result.
Optimization by Spending Style
Free-to-Play
Use consistent, modest layers and protect the primary mass. Testing discipline costs less than rebuilding a bad march repeatedly.
Low Coiner
March-size purchases only help when the additional capacity is allocated correctly. Do not simply inflate every layer.
Heavy Coiner
Large march size magnifies both good templates and bad ones. Keep versioned presets and report notes.
Common Mistakes
- Using only top-tier troops.
- Making every layer too large.
- Copying a siege-bomb template into a standard attack.
- Testing against wildly different targets and blaming the template.
- Forgetting to update presets after unlocking a new tier.
Elphi's Recommendations
Layers support the damage mass; they do not replace it.
A preset is only as good as the report review behind it.
Change one thing at a time.
Quick Reference Checklist
- March size confirmed
- Small layers added
- Remaining space calculated
- Primary tiers distributed
- Preset saved
- Reports reviewed