# How To Play

## Basics

The goal of every battle is to win as many enemy hexes as you can. If you manage to own more than 50% animals at the end of the battle - you will be victorious!

Playing Everlands is about choosing the right animal and placing it at the best possible spot.

Every hex contains useful information that will help you decide which animal you should choose at the moment.

### Tap on any animal to view its description.

An important thing to consider is the number and direction of the attack sides. Attack sides are marked with yellow triangles pointing to adjacent spots.

### Notice that Rhino is focusing on just one attack side, while Hedgehog is able to attack in five directions.

Remaining sides of your animal's hex are undefended! Enemy will always try to attack your undefended sides - so try to position animals as safely as possible.

### An ideal placement is the one that allows your animal to point its attacks out, while leaving its undefended sides out of harm's way.

The numbers on the hex represent animal's Health and Attack values.

Green number on the left side indicates animal's current Health value. Enemy attacks decrease your animal's health. If the health is depleted, the hex falls to your enemy, changing its color and allegiance.

The same applies to enemy creatures. If you deplete the health of an enemy creature, you will win its hex and the creature will become yours with full health replenished.

### Rhino can easily win over enemy Leopard. Defeated enemy creatures are saved and they fight for you!

Yellow number on the right side represents animal's attack strength. Attack strength equals the amount of damage dealt to enemy creatures. Every time your animal attacks an enemy, its attack strength value is simply detracted from enemy health.

When you decide to place an animal - you should check if the spot is not endangered by nearby enemy creatures.

Your newly placed animal will attack only after all nearby enemies have finished their defensive attacks. That's why it is important to place your animal on a safe spot.

### Creatures already in place will defend themselves first!

However if there is no safe spot left, you have to place a resilient animal with high health value, capable of enduring enemy defensive attacks.

### Elephant can take up to 6 points of damage before it is defeated.

To every rule, there is an exception. Animals of the Everlands are unique and each has an ability that can dramatically improve the situation on the battlefield to your advantage.

Learn more about animals' special abilities in the ADVANCED section of How To Play Everlands.

## Advanced

### Fast Ones Attack First!

Your Leopard and Snake both have an invaluable ability to attack before enemy creatures manage to defend themselves. This allows you to place them even on an endangered spot - knowing you will defeat nearby enemies before they can do you any harm.

Note that enemy creatures who endure your Leopard's or Snake's surprise attacks will defend themselves immediately afterwards...

### Leopard attacks first. Before evil Bear and Racoon manage to attack, Leopard wins them both.

### Seize two spots in one turn!

Bees give you the unique option to place two of them during single turn. This can be effective in numerous ways.

You can slightly damage many different enemies at once, taking all of them with one stronger animal in the next turn.

Bees are also great for blocking access to vulnerable spots of other important animals. You can also use them to fill the last safe spots on the battlefield, denying your enemy the possibility to use them.

Kiwi and Platypus have a similar ability - they can place an Egg on any free spot in the same turn.

Kiwi's Big Egg is quite resilient and can even take some punishment - which makes it an ideal choice for filling endangered gaps.

### Both Kiwi and Egg can be placed in single turn. In this case, Egg shields Kiwi's undefended side.

Platypuses' egg has only one hitpoint and will be most likely destroyed by enemies. However you can use it to block access to strategic positions (at least temporarily).

Defeated eggs break and disappear - they will not fall to the enemy unless they're stolen by enemy Racoon.

Note: If your enemy also lays its evil eggs around, then it's time to deploy your Racoon! Racoons have the ability to instantly snatch any adjacent enemy eggs and make them yours.

### Tactical Support

Elephant, Frog and Beaver are great for supporting other animals in play.

Elephant has a strategic ability to improve attack of all adjacent friends. Try to place animals with numerous attack sides next to Elephant, to multiply its empowering effect. Your enemy is well aware of critical role of your Elephant and will do everything to take it away from you. To prevent that, you can combine your Elephant with a Frog.

When placed, Frog instantly heals wounds of all adjacent friends. Frog itself has just 2 hitpoints and it is likely that your enemy will take it from you; but the benefit of its healing can't be undone. Needless to say, defeated Frog can be quite easily won back.

You can also improve the health of up to six animals at once, if you place Beaver among them. Under Beaver's beneficial influence everyone gets a free +1 hitpoint!

Beaver is just as vulnerable as Frog; but its ability to improve durability of all adjacent friends makes Beaver a deciding unit in many battles.

Just make sure to place it somewhere safe!

### Beaver enhances Elephant's health. Elephant increases Beaver's attack. Hedgehog benefits from both Elephant's and Beaver's abilities and multiplies these bonuses by its numerous attack sides.

### Defend!

Enemy endangers all available spots? It's time to place one of the heavy defenders who can take serious punishment and yet still remain yours!

One of the best defenders is undoubtedly Turtle. Turtle blocks all defensive attacks. That gives you the option to place it into the very heart of enemy army without sustaining any harm.

Turtle can be placed on any unsafe spot, no matter how much it is endangered. In following turns however, it can be defeated just like any other creature.

Another reliable defender is Hippo. Hippo has the Thick Skin ability, making it ignore 1 point of damage from enemy attacks. Hippo is basically invulnerable to all attacks of strength 1, while stronger enemy attacks deal only reduced damage.

Bear in mind that a fallen Hippo will be hard to win back.

An aggressive approach to defense is the way of Boars. While they are not particularly interested in attacking anyone (their basic attack strength is just 1), they won't tolerate enemies who step on their territory. After a Boar is placed, its attack rises to an impressive strength of 3.

If you count in a relatively high health value (4) and number of attack directions (3), you have an amazing guardian for any occasion. Your enemy will think twice before placing anyone next to your Boar!

Ram makes a perfect defender in certain configurations. Ram can block any kind of attacks coming from its attack sides (which are both on the left part of the hex). Ram's horns serve as an impenetrable shield but the undefended sides of the hex are vulnerable.

An enemy monster with deadly attack strength? If it attacks from the left - the best countermeasure is Ram!

### Is the only remaining spot endangered by enemies? Place a Turtle. Its "Turtle Mail" ability protects Turtle from the first wave of attacks.

### Turn The Tide!

Do you feel like your enemy has an upper hand? Save these two animals for later and use them to turn the tide of battle in your favor:

Tiger is a creature so frightening, your enemies will lose their will to fight in its presence. Tiger's Fearsome ability decreases attack strength of all adjacent enemies by 1 to a minimum attack strength of 1. If you position Tiger in between enemy units, you will significantly reduce their attack power. Then finish those weakened enemies with your remaining animals and take all your hexes back!

Note: Tiger is as great an ally as it is a dangerous enemy. Never let it fall and turn against you!

Rhino excels at disrupting enemy tactics and formations. Rhino's Dash Bash Slash Crash ability allows him to replace any hex, friend or foe, provided its health value is 2 or lower. Such move can easily turn the tide of the battle if used effectively.

Tip: Use Rhino to get to otherwise inaccessible position by replacing a weak creature deep in enemy formation.

### Application of Rhino; before and after. Rhino has replaced evil Frog and from that position managed to defeat nearby enemy Leopard.

### Awaken The Hunter Within!

Many animals are capable of much stronger attacks if they're given a proper motivation or if they're sent after the right kind of prey. Use your animals wisely to get the best out of each.

Owl preys on the weak. It is extremely effective at soaring down on preys that won't fight back too much. If you send your Owl after creatures with attack strength of 1 - Owl's own attack will be twice as strong!

Tip: Weaken moderately strong enemies with Tiger and decrease their attack strength to 1. Then hit them with Owl's stronger attack.

Bears are useful in any mood; however when they get angry they tear your enemies apart! Bears get angry when anyone tries to hurt them. Place one at a slightly endangered spot and let the enemy creatures provoke your Bear with their weak attacks, exposing themselves to Bear's mighty wrath which immediately follows!

### Note that Bear has initial attack of 2. All nearby enemies have health values of 3.

### What happened? Enemy defensive attempts made Bear angry! Righteous rage has increased Bear's attack strength to 3 which was enough to defeat all of them at once!

Dog is a vicious fighter and it is great at exploiting enemy weaknesses. Dog gets attack strength bonus +1 against any wounded enemy!

Tip: Use animal with numerous attack sides (i.e. Hedgehog) to wound numerous stronger enemies at once and then - let the Dogs out!

At first glance, Rats might seem as weak animals - although they can nimbly attack into four directions. However their ability to draw attack strength from proximity of other friendly rats is what makes these critters a virtually indomitable army. Just manage to place three Rats close together so that each neighbors with other two and they will all increase their attack strength to 3!

Tip: If your enemy has placed a Rat, try to win it for yourself and then add your own Rat at neighboring free spot - they'll both benefit from their Rat Pack ability!

### Single rat has a weak attack strength of 1. Three adjacent rats form a Rat Pack and multiply their strengths. Each of them now deals 3 points of damage!