Dwarves' Complete Formation List: Glory, Death, and Solving Loot

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Brute forcing your way through Dwarves: Glory, Death And Loot without adjusting your formations will likely lead to defeat. Whether you’re setting up your main clan or your profession group, it’s important to tailor your team’s build to match the key settings.

We’ll show you how to unlock each formation quickly, explain what each one does, and help you choose the best options for your clan. Here is everything you need to understand about formations in the game.

What Are Formations?

Formations are strategies for positioning your dwarves during battles, influencing their movement and attack style. There are two types:

Clan Formations
Profession Formations

Clan Formations

These control how fast your dwarves move and how aggressively they attack. They are available regardless of the number of dwarves or their professions, but only one can be used each battle. These formations impact the speed and combat behavior of your entire clan.

Profession Formations

These provide bonuses based on the specific professions of your dwarves, offering different advantages depending on your team composition. You can mix these with clan formations, but each one must be used in a battle at least once to unlock its full potential.

How to Use Clan and Profession Formations

Using a clan formation requires selecting one of four options before each fight:

Formation Name	How It Works
Free For All	All dwarves rush forward as fast as possible
Strength in Numbers	Dwarves farther from the center slow down to catch up
Phalanx	Dwarves’ speed is limited by the dwarf directly ahead; speed updates only at fight start
Hold the Line	Dwarves stay stationary, but gain increased range and resistance

Once you pick a formation, it stays active for that entire battle. Each formation has its own strengths:

Free For All is best for melee units.
Strength in Numbers is versatile, especially if you want to keep front and back lines separated.
Phalanx suits shield-heavy or ranged compositions.
Hold the Line is situational, mainly for defense with ranged attacks.

You can switch to a different formation for each fight, but only one per battle. Some setups are better for specific strategies based on your team makeup.

Profession Formations

There are 13 different formations based on professions, each offering unique benefits. These are unlocked by using certain combos once in battle, and then continued use grants additional bonuses.

Formation Name	Unlock Condition	Main Boon	Notes
Bannerlords	Have at least 3 Supporters	Supporters’ ultimates heal 20% of clan members’ HP	Good for support-heavy teams
Berserkers	Use 3+ two-handed weapon users	Parry chance increases by 8% per berserker, gain Berserker passive	Great against damage reflection
Burning Legion	80% of clan can apply Burning	Burning chance +10%, damage +50%	Best with magic, archers, thieves
Crusade	Only Knights, Priests, Paladins; min 3 Priests and 3 Knights	AoE damage based on dwarf weight	Strict profession restrictions
Order of Frost	80% of clan can Cool or Freeze	Chance to Chill enemies	Useful for magic teams
Pack of Thieves	Use ≥3 Thieves	Poison damage increased by 10% stacking per Thief	Focused on stacking damage
Rangers	3+ Archers and 3+ Cannoneers	Jumpback based on Dexter, 25% armor penetration	Keeps ranged units alive
Ragtag	All 7 professions present	All stats +15%	End-game boost for maximum gain
Soldiers of Heaven	80% can Shock enemies	Shocked enemies do less damage, take more damage	Versatile, especially against magic teams
Wizardry	5+ magic users	30% chance to cast Ultimate twice with each use	Boosts healing and damage output
Battlerune: Celestial Arrows	Have Ultimates: Staggering Shock, Piercing Arrow, Arrowgance	Special arrow-based damage bonus	Effective against foes weak to arrows
Battlerune: Inferno	Have Ultimates: Phoenix, Eruption, Pyromania	Access to inferno effects	Strong for fire-based attacks
Battlerune: Cataclysm	Ultimates: Harvest, Nightmare, Void Slash	Unlocks devastating effects	Powerful for large-scale damage

After unlocking these formations through initial use, you can combine them strategically to amplify damage and maximize your clan’s strengths.

Unlocking and Combining Formations

You gain access to a formation by deploying it at least once in battle. Continued use unlocks additional benefits, especially when you repeat the same formation. Combining different formations during battles helps you stack buffs and increase overall damage output, making your team more effective.