Whiteout Survival Sunfire Castle guide: rules, rallies, garrison and formations

New here? How it works

Counters and captains built against the exact enemy wall you face. Buffs of the same category add; different categories multiply — so unique buffs win. The rally leader's 3 heroes use all their expedition skills + weapon; each joiner counts only its first hero's first (top-right) skill.

1 Your roster & strength
Caps Mythics at this gen. Epic joiners (gold) are always available.
2 The enemy you're attacking
Common walls
Notable enemy defenders (optional)
2 The attack coming at you
Common attacks
📊 Predict a battle before you fight
Load your attack or defense plan, then set troops (the garrison count for the enemy), gem buffs, pets and experts. Exact report stats are optional.
📘 Joiners guide — which first skill to send
In a rally only each joiner's FIRST hero counts, and only the 4 joiners with the highest first-skill level (ties go to whoever joined first). Send the hero whose first skill adds a buff category the leaders do not already have: the same category adds, different categories multiply. Ranked here as the first joiner added to the best leader trio of your generation.
🐻 Bear trap formations — best marksman Attack & Lethality per generation
Bear trap is a pure damage race: no need to survive. Rally leaders send 10/10/80 (infantry/lancer/marksman) and joiners send mostly marksmen (90-100%). Heroes are picked to maximize marksman damage (Attack and Lethality first, then the buffs that multiply with them): the leader's three heroes use all skills and weapons, each joiner counts only the first hero's first skill.
Leader march 10/10/80 · Joiners 90-100% marksmen

Since the October 22, 2025 patch the Sunfire Castle fight lasts up to 5 hours, and the first alliance to hold it for 2.5 consecutive hours wins; if nobody does, the longest total hold wins. In SvS the Prep Phase winner attacks into the loser's state. Rally leaders use all 9 expedition skills, joiners add only their first hero's first skill (4 highest levels count), and each player may have one march in the fight. Rules change with patches, so check the in-game text. Last checked October 5, 2026.

What Sunfire Castle is

Sunfire Castle is the contested castle objective in State vs State (SvS) and in the intra-state castle battle. The alliance that wins it appoints the President, who assigns ministry posts (Vice President, Interior, Health, Defense, Strategy, Education) that give buffs (sources disagree whether these are state-wide or personal). The castle battle happens about every two weeks, alternating between the intra-state and the SvS version, although sources word the exact cadence differently.

SvS timeline

  • The SvS Battle Phase runs Saturday 10:00 to 22:00 UTC. Cross-state teleport opens at 10:00 UTC.
  • The castle fight starts at 12:00 UTC and runs up to 5 hours (until about 17:00 UTC).
  • The Prep Phase winner is the attacker. The castle appears in the Prep Phase loser's state, and the attacking state's own castle is shielded.
  • Some community guides also list a Healing Speed buff and an Enlistment Office capacity buff for the Prep Phase winner; the official wiki does not mention it.
  • Entry needs Furnace Level 16. Points only count when attacker and target Furnace levels are within 3 levels, and in rallies the rally captain's Furnace level applies to all joiners.

How the fight is won (October 2025 patch)

The castle battle lasts at most 5 hours. The first alliance to hold the castle for 2.5 consecutive hours wins. If nobody does, the alliance with the longest total hold wins. Older pages that still say 6 hours and 3 hours describe the rule before October 22, 2025.

Rallies, joiners and marches

  • The rally leader's three heroes supply all 9 expedition skills. Each joiner adds only the first expedition skill of their first hero, and only the 4 highest-level joiners count (the joiners guide ranks the first skills by generation).
  • Each player may have only one march in or attacking the castle at a time.
  • Common attack tactic: two rallies of similar strength arrive almost together. The first kills most enemy infantry, and the second lands before the garrison can refill.
  • Defense: keep reinforcing, because arriving marches refill the space of dead defenders. See the garrison defense guide.

Turrets

Turrets around the castle (guides count four) hit the castle holder when the opposing side controls them, and guides say they target infantry first (WosGuru adds that their pressure grows over time). One reason guides give for infantry-heavy castle garrisons is exactly this turret fire.

Formations for Sunfire Castle

  • Attack: community guides give 50/20/30 (infantry/lancer/marksman) as a starting point for T9/T10 rallies; heaven-guardian gives ranges of 40-50 / 10-20 / 30-50. None cites battle reports.
  • Garrison: most 2026 guides say at least about 60% infantry (some older ones give 40-50%); the marksman share is disputed. These ratios were written for T9/T10 troops.
  • Our planner: the garrison attack guide gives model baselines for every generation against six garrison types. Leader and joiner picks there are model output, not community lists.

Scoring

Occupation earns 1 point per 1,000 power every 60 seconds in the castle and turrets. Kills and losses earn points per troop that scale with the troop tier, from 1 point at the lowest tiers up to 15 at T11 (per WoSTools; we found no T12 value). Most points usually come from heavy troop injuries plus healing in batches.

What we could not verify

No source we read gives the castle garrison capacity, the maximum number of joiners per rally, or a clear rule for who becomes Supreme President when the two phases are won by different states. We do not publish numbers for these.

Frequently asked questions

How long is the Sunfire Castle battle in Whiteout Survival?

Up to 5 hours since the October 22, 2025 patch. In SvS it starts at 12:00 UTC on the Battle Phase Saturday.

How do you win Sunfire Castle?

Hold the castle for 2.5 consecutive hours. If nobody manages that within the 5 hours, the alliance with the longest total hold wins.

Who attacks in SvS?

The Prep Phase winner attacks. The castle appears in the Prep Phase loser's state.

How many joiners count in a Sunfire Castle rally?

Only the 4 joiners with the highest first-skill level count, and each adds the first expedition skill of their first hero. Each player may have one march in the fight.

Related guides

Attack each garrison · Joiners guide · Bear Trap formations · 60/40/0 formation · Garrison defense · Troop ratio guide · 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.

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