Maximized battlefield slots. Expect to bring roughly 150+ Steam Giants, 180 Swordsmen, 100+ Sulfur Carabineers, 24 Mortars, and 30 Cooks.

Never attack a Level 8 Barbarian Village without a full alliance support fleet. A Level 8 village has hidden "Veteran Barbarians" that can one-shot low-level troops.

Goal: Quick, cheap raids.

Starting at level 5 and , the Barbarians will sometimes retaliate against your attacks. They will send raiding parties to occupy your resource sites on the island, which will hurt your production and can even attack your cities. Keep a defensive force garrisoned on your island to fend off these raids.

With every successful attack, the village will rebuild stronger. As its level increases, so does its army size, variety of troop types, and defensive capabilities. The maximum listed level is , but as we'll discuss later, the challenge doesn't truly end there.