Thronefall - A Little Kingdom: How to Beat the First Boss

To defeat the first boss in Thronefall - A Little Kingdom, cluster your ranged defenses around the Town Center, clear the supporting minions immediately, and use your monarch on horseback to kite the boss away from vulnerable structures.

The boss deals heavy single-target and area-of-effect damage that can demolish walls and wipe out standing armies within seconds. Surviving the encounter requires compounding your gold income across the early days so you can afford upgraded fortifications before the boss arrives.

Early Economy and Preparation

On maps where the first boss appears, such as Nordfels, relying solely on base Town Center income will leave you underfunded. You must compound gold during the early, lighter waves to afford tier-two defenses and specialized barracks by the final wave.

• Build Harbors and Mills Early: Invest early gold into harbors and mills on turns with light enemy pressure. Harbors yield dependable passive income each turn, while mills produce steady gold when kept safe from hostile pathing.
• Avoid Low-Impact Spending: Do not spend gold on minor or cosmetic upgrades during the middle days. Reinvest your surplus into economic buildings on days two and three so you have the cash reserves needed for late-wave military structures.
• Protect Outer Outposts: If an outer farm or harbor lies in the direct path of an incoming night attack, station cheap melee units nearby or erect a wall segment. Losing an economic structure resets its upgrade progress and cuts off income.

Defensive Fortifications and Tower Upgrades

A clustered defense around your central keep is more effective against the boss than a thin outer ring. Scattering towers across multiple lanes allows the boss and supporting siege units to dismantle defenses individually. Funneling enemies into a fortified core concentrates all your ranged damage into a single kill zone.

Unit Selection and Positioning

A balanced unit roster ensures you have the damage output to burn down the boss's health pool while protecting your backline from supporting swarms.

• Ranged Units: Crossbowmen and longbow archers provide your primary boss damage. Crossbowmen are effective against high-health, armored targets, while longbow archers eliminate fast and flying units before they disrupt your formations. Station all ranged units behind stone walls or on elevated terrain to keep them clear of melee sweeps.
• Melee Interceptors: Keep fragile infantry like basic swordsmen away from the boss's direct attacks. Instead, use spearmen or knights to intercept charging flankers and secondary ground units.
• Wall Shielding: If your melee forces must engage the boss directly, command them to hold position behind your thickest wall. The boss will focus its heavy swings on the stone wall rather than wiping out your units.

Kiting the Boss on Horseback

Your monarch's primary role during the boss wave is controlling enemy movement and aggro rather than maximizing personal weapon damage.

1. Draw Initial Aggro: Ride out ahead of your walls as the wave begins. Strike the boss directly with your weapon to pull its attention before it targets your fortifications.
2. Establish a Kiting Circle: Turn your horse and guide the boss into open ground along the edge of your tower network. Ride in wide circles just out of range of its heavy melee swings and area-of-effect ground slams.
3. Protect the Town Center: Never let the boss walk straight toward your central keep. If the boss drops aggro and shifts toward a building, ride in close, hit it two or three times to regain focus, and pull it back into open space.
4. Prioritize Survival: Do not risk point-blank attacks for extra damage. If your monarch falls, the respawn timer leaves your base unmanaged and allows the boss to destroy your structures unimpeded.

Clearing Supporting Waves

Supporting infantry and fast raiders pose an immediate threat to your archer clusters if left unattended. At the start of the night, use your monarch's active abilities to eliminate these secondary units before settling into a sustained kiting loop.

Once the auxiliary enemies are down, use the army call command to pull surviving ranged units into firing positions around the boss's kiting path. Keep your monarch circling within range of your ballistas and archers until the boss's health bar is fully depleted.