Iron Dominion: building a base that actually holds

In Iron Dominion, a pretty base is not the same as a strong base. We learned this the hard way after an attack wiped out our resource storage in one clean sweep. Since then we've rebuilt around a few defensive principles that hold up well.

The biggest lesson was layering defenses instead of clustering them. Spread your towers so attackers have to fight through overlapping fields of fire. Tucking your most important buildings in the center behind those layers buys precious time.

Resource management ties directly into defense. If you overextend on expansion, you won't have the materials to repair after a raid. We now keep a small reserve stockpiled specifically for rebuilding, and it's saved us repeatedly.

Scouting is underrated. Before you commit forces, send scouts to see what you're up against. Half our early losses came from attacking blind, and that's an easy habit to fix.

Take the mid-game slowdown as a chance to consolidate rather than expand. A tight, well-defended settlement beats a sprawling vulnerable one every single time.