What are you trying to do?
Merge Tactics is a four-player auto-battler. You make the decisions before combat; your troops execute them automatically.
The win condition
Your Ruler carries your hit points. Lose a round and the surviving enemy board damages it; reach zero and you are eliminated. The last Ruler alive takes first place. In Ranked, both first and second are winning placements.
Your real controls
You control the shop, Bench, star levels, Traits, Equipment and formation. Once Battle begins, targeting and attacks are automatic, so a good plan matters more than fast inputs.
One round, step by step
Every round follows the same rhythm. Read the shared Modifier first, then build for the fight in front of you.
- 01
Deploy
Buy, sell, merge and move troops between the Board and Bench. Set Equipment and complete your formation.
- 02
Lock the board
Check your Trait breakpoints, Ruler Quest and likely opponent. Fragile carries belong behind or offset from the frontline.
- 03
Battle
Teams fight automatically. Board positions are locked, but shop purchases can still be sent to the Bench when space is available.
- 04
Resolve
Ruler damage, Crowns and Quest progress are applied. The next Deploy phase begins with income and any earned rewards.
Shop, Elixir and merging
The shop is a shared resource. Buy strength now, but keep enough flexibility to take the duplicate that matters later.

2 copiesmerge automatically
2-Star+1 ElixirFive each round
Golden Elixir carries forward, but there is no normal interest payment for saving it.
Buy to cycle
The shop shows three troops and refreshes after a purchase. There is no permanent reroll button.
Cost minus one
Selling returns the invested value minus one Elixir. A blind buy-and-sell cycle therefore costs one.
Scout before forcing
Copies held by opponents reduce your access. The exact current copy count is not officially settled.
Build roles first, Traits second
A glowing Trait threshold cannot repair a board with no frontline, no damage or no path to the target.




Stand one or two hexes ahead of carries. Offset tanks so one area attack does not hit everything.
Leave a path to the target. A strong melee unit trapped behind slow allies contributes nothing.
Spread against area damage and change sides when an assassin or displacement effect threatens the corner.
Stay in range of the units you protect without sharing the same enemy splash zone.
What is true for the Ronin season?
This block is dated because troop pools, Traits, Quest Orbs, Equipment and Modifiers can change without altering the core game loop.
Use now
- Five base Elixir per round
- One visible Trait per troop
- Season 10 Orb rewards: 6 / 12 / 24
- Electric and Boss can activate from Orb access
Old guides may show
- Four base Elixir
- Two Traits on every troop
- Season 9 Orb rewards: 5 / 10 / 20
- Older Boss values and Modifier rotations
A practical game plan
Do not memorize one composition. Follow a decision order that survives bad shops, contested units and changing Modifiers.
Early game
Read the Modifier and Quest. Fill your available slots, buy a flexible frontline/carry pair and protect Bench space for duplicates.
Midgame
Reach one useful Trait breakpoint, then prioritize a 2-Star frontline and damage dealer. Scout before committing to a contested carry.
Endgame
Turn saved Elixir and speculative Bench units into immediate power. Move Equipment and formation for the known opponent every round.
Avoid these six losses
- Ignoring the ModifierIt can rewrite economy, tiles or team size.
- Forcing the first TraitThe shared pool rewards flexible buying.
- Cycling without a targetEvery normal buy-and-sell loop costs one Elixir.
- Overfilling the BenchYou can block duplicates and Orb rewards.
- Clustering the boardArea damage can erase a stronger team.
- Saving for interestElixir gives options, not passive income.














