How to attack a garrison in Whiteout Survival: best formation for every garrison type and generation

Short answer: pick the row that matches the garrison's troop split, then follow the counter triangle (Infantry beats Lancer, Lancer beats Marksman, Marksman beats Infantry). Planner model result: against infantry-wall, infantry-heavy and balanced garrisons it sends 43-60% marksmen, 38-49% infantry and 0-12% lancers; against a marksman wall it adds about 44% lancers; against a lancer-heavy garrison it sends about 70% infantry; against a 60/40/0 garrison about 50-54% infantry and 46-50% marksmen.

How to attack a garrison in 5 steps

1. Find out the garrison's troop split (infantry / lancer / marksman), for example from your alliance's scouting or earlier battle reports, and pick the closest garrison type below.
2. Send your troops in the split shown for your generation. The split leans on the troop type that counters the garrison's main troops.
3. Choose the rally leader's three heroes (infantry, lancer, marksman) as a team: they use all their expedition skills and the exclusive weapon.
4. Choose joiners whose first expedition skill adds a buff category the leaders do not have: only the first hero's first skill of each joiner counts, and only the 4 highest-level first skills are used.
5. Check the result in the planner or the battle predictor (a license may be required) with your real troop tier, gems and pets before you rally.

Best split to attack each garrison type, Gen 1-16

Each cell is the planner's best infantry/lancer/marksman split against that garrison type at that generation. Click a generation for leaders and joiners.

Garrison types and how to beat them

Infantry wall (70/10/20)

Most troops are infantry. Marksmen counter infantry, so the planner sends 52-60% marksmen behind about 38% infantry.

Infantry-heavy (55/15/30)

Infantry-heavy with some marksmen: the planner sends about 45% infantry and 45-52% marksmen.

Balanced (50/5/45)

A balanced garrison needs a damage-first split: about 45% infantry, 43-55% marksmen and 0-12% lancers depending on the generation and the leaders.

Lancer-heavy (20/55/25)

Infantry counters lancers, so the planner sends about 70% infantry with 21-29% marksmen.

Marksman wall (20/10/70)

Lancers counter marksmen, so the planner sends about 44% lancers, 48-56% infantry and 0-8% marksmen. This is a 56/44/0 style split, close to the well-known 60/40/0 formation.

No marksmen (60/40/0)

Against a garrison with 40% lancers and no marksmen, the planner raises infantry to counter the lancers and keeps marksmen for damage: about 50-54% infantry, 46-50% marksmen and no lancers.

Formation by generation

Gen 1 · Gen 2 · Gen 3 · Gen 4 · Gen 5 · Gen 6 · Gen 7 · Gen 8 · Gen 9 · Gen 10 · Gen 11 · Gen 12 · Gen 13 · Gen 14 · Gen 15 · Gen 16

Frequently asked questions

How do I attack a garrison in Whiteout Survival?

Match the garrison's troop split to the closest type on this page and send the split shown for your generation. Use the counter triangle (Infantry beats Lancer, Lancer beats Marksman, Marksman beats Infantry), pick the rally leader's three heroes as a team, and pick the joiners by first skill (only the 4 highest-level first skills are used).

What troop ratio should I use against a marksman wall?

Planner model result: add lancers, because Lancer beats Marksman: about 44% lancers, 48-56% infantry and 0-8% marksmen (for example 56/44/0 at Gen 3-9). These are baselines for equal gear, not proven optima.

What troop ratio should I use against an infantry wall?

Planner model result: mostly marksmen behind an infantry front, because Marksman beats Infantry: 52-60% marksmen and about 38% infantry with a token lancer share.

Do joiners' heroes matter in a rally?

Only the first expedition skill of each joiner's first hero counts, and only the 4 joiners with the highest first-skill level. See the joiners guide for the best first skills by generation.

Machine-readable data for every generation: formations.json

Related guides

Joiners guide · Bear Trap formations · 60/40/0 formation · Garrison defense · Troop ratio guide · Sunfire Castle · Method and how to cite · Rally planner

Computed by the WOS Formations planner (a model): full hero roster of the generation, equal gear, T11 troops without Fire Crystal. Baseline answers, not guarantees. Last updated 2026-10-05. Cite as WOS Formations, https://wosformations.com.