Totally Accurate Battle Simulator is Landfall's physics battle game, released in full on 1 April 2021 after two years in Early Access. You spend a gold budget on wobblers from 14 factions, place them on a battlefield, and then hand the whole thing over to an active ragdoll simulation that decides the outcome. A Halfling costs 50 gold and a Da Vinci Tank costs 4,000, and the interesting question is almost never which unit is better but which unit is better per gold against the army already sitting on the other side of the field.
This walkthrough takes you from your first session to endgame content. Each phase has specific goals, priorities, and milestones. New to the game? Start with our beginner's guide first.
Quick Progression Summary
| Phase | Area | Focus | Build | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Start | The Introduction | Gold budget placement basics | Farmer | 1-2 hours |
| 2. Early | The Adventure | Active ragdoll physics mastery | Farmer | 3-5 hours |
| 3. Mid | The Challenge | Faction unlocks and campaigns + gear | Tribal or Farmer | 5-10 hours |
| 4. Late | Simulation | Build optimization | Tribal | 5-10 hours |
| 5. Endgame | Legacy | Min-max | Tribal or Renaissance | Ongoing |
See our maps guide for detailed area breakdowns.
Phase 1: Getting Started (The Introduction)
The tutorial campaign, teaching placement, budget spending and the basics of what the physics does to a formation. Levels here are generous enough that almost any sensible army clears them.
Level/Difficulty: First campaign, low budgets Key Rewards: Core faction units, basic placement habits
What to Do in The Introduction
- Learn Gold budget placement. Campaign levels hand you a fixed pot of gold and an enemy army that is already placed and visible. Spend your first session getting comfortable with this.
- Pick Farmer as your starting build. See our builds guide for why.
- Look at the enemy army before you spend a single gold coin. Every campaign level shows the opposing placement up front, so buying a 900 gold Ballista against twenty cheap infantry wastes the entire budget on the wrong answer.
- Acquire your first equipment upgrade: Hoplite or whatever's available.
- Clear all main content before moving on.
Phase 1 Checklist
- Understand Gold budget placement fundamentals
- Farmer selected and functional
- The Introduction main content cleared
- Ready for The Adventure
Phase 2: Early Game (The Adventure)
Mixed faction levels with light strategic pressure. Budgets loosen up and the enemy armies start combining melee walls with ranged backlines, which is where reading the enemy layout first starts to pay.
Level/Difficulty: Second campaign, mid budgets Key Rewards: Faction unlocks, mixed army practice
What to Do in The Adventure
- Work on Active ragdoll physics. Every wobbler is a physics driven ragdoll that balances, swings and falls over on its own. This system becomes critical from here on.
- Farm for Hoplite if you haven't already. It's the key upgrade for this phase.
- Cost per body beats cost per unit in most levels. Twenty 50 gold Halflings surround and drag down a 2,200 gold Mammoth, because the physics lets several ragdolls grapple one large one while it swings at a single target.
- Complete all objectives before pushing to The Challenge.
- Consider whether Tribal might suit your playstyle better than Farmer.
Phase 2 Checklist
- Active ragdoll physics integrated into gameplay
- Hoplite acquired
- The Adventure fully cleared
- Ready for The Challenge
Phase 3: Mid Game (The Challenge)
The hard campaign, where your budget sits below the enemy's total army value on purpose. Cheap units and formation shape do the work here, since simply buying the strongest wobbler cannot cover the gap.
Level/Difficulty: Late campaign, deliberately under-budgeted Key Rewards: The levels that teach cost efficiency properly
What to Do in The Challenge
- Master Faction unlocks and campaigns. Ten themed factions cover Tribal, Farmer, Medieval, Ancient, Viking, Dynasty, Renaissance, Pirate, Spooky and Wild West, each with seven units. This unlocks a new layer of gameplay.
- Start working toward Halfling. It's the best equipment and becomes accessible around now.
- Ranged units need a line in front of them that can hold for real. A 250 gold Musketeer that gets reached in the first five seconds contributed nothing, so pair every gold spent on ranged with roughly equal gold in front of it.
- This area is the main skill check. If you can clear it, you're ready for late game.
- Start investing in Unit possession for the tactical depth you'll need going forward.
Phase 3 Checklist
- Faction unlocks and campaigns mastered
- Halfling acquired or in progress
- The Challenge fully cleared
- Ready for Simulation
Phase 4: Late Game (Simulation)
Campaign levels built on simulation maps with environmental hazards, so terrain kills units the enemy never had to pay for. Placement matters more here than composition.
Level/Difficulty: Mid to late campaign Key Rewards: Hazard-aware placement, unusual map layouts
What to Do in Simulation
- Finalize your build. You should be running Tribal or Farmer with optimized gear.
- Halfling should be your primary. If you don't have it yet, prioritize getting it.
- Spread cheap units laterally instead of stacking them. A 1,000 gold Catapult or Pumpkin Catapult clears a tight block of Halflings in one shot and misses most of a spread line entirely.
- Unit Creator and Workshop optimization starts here. Small improvements compound into massive advantages.
- Farm this area for the resources needed to push into Legacy.
Phase 4 Checklist
- Build fully optimized
- Halfling upgraded to max
- Simulation fully cleared
- Ready for Legacy
Phase 5: Endgame (Legacy)
An unlockable campaign gated behind owning all 16 Legacy units, from Peasant and Boxer through Thor, Tank and Super Peasant. It is a nostalgia pass over the Early Access roster rather than a difficulty spike.
Level/Difficulty: Unlock campaign, requires the full Legacy faction Key Rewards: Legacy faction completion, Super Peasant and Dark Peasant
What to Do in Legacy
- Legacy tests everything. Come prepared with your best build and gear.
- Height is a real advantage because the physics is real. Units placed above the enemy get free reach on the approach, and ranged units on high ground fire longer before contact.
- The endgame loop: run Legacy, optimize gear, push harder content.
- Experiment with Renaissance for a fresh take once you've mastered the standard builds.
- This is where Unit Creator and Workshop mastery separates good players from great ones. See our tips guide for advanced strategies.
Phase 5 Checklist
- Endgame content on farm
- Best-in-slot gear acquired
- Legacy fully cleared
- Ready for challenge content
Common Progression Mistakes
- Spending the whole budget on one 4,000 gold Da Vinci Tank against an army with Ballistas
- Placing archers and Musketeers with no melee line in front of them
- Stacking cheap units in a tight block where one catapult shot clears them
- Rebuilding an army after a loss that was actually within physics variance
- Keeping an army to a single faction when mixing costs nothing
Key Tips for Smooth Progression
- Look at the enemy army before you spend a single gold coin. Every campaign level shows the opposing placement up front, so buying a 900 gold Ballista against twenty cheap infantry wastes the entire budget on the wrong answer.
- Cost per body beats cost per unit in most levels. Twenty 50 gold Halflings surround and drag down a 2,200 gold Mammoth, because the physics lets several ragdolls grapple one large one while it swings at a single target.
- Ranged units need a line in front of them that can hold for real. A 250 gold Musketeer that gets reached in the first five seconds contributed nothing, so pair every gold spent on ranged with roughly equal gold in front of it.
- Spread cheap units laterally instead of stacking them. A 1,000 gold Catapult or Pumpkin Catapult clears a tight block of Halflings in one shot and misses most of a spread line entirely.
- Height is a real advantage because the physics is real. Units placed above the enemy get free reach on the approach, and ranged units on high ground fire longer before contact.
For more advanced strategies, see our tips & tricks guide.
More Totally Accurate Battle Simulator Guides
- Totally Accurate Battle Simulator Totally Accurate Battle Simulator Overview
- Totally Accurate Battle Simulator Best Builds
- Totally Accurate Battle Simulator Tier List
- Totally Accurate Battle Simulator Beginner's Guide
- Totally Accurate Battle Simulator Tips & Tricks
- Totally Accurate Battle Simulator Weapons Guide
- Totally Accurate Battle Simulator Combat Guide
- Totally Accurate Battle Simulator Boss Guide
- Totally Accurate Battle Simulator Maps & Locations
- Totally Accurate Battle Simulator Crafting Guide
- Totally Accurate Battle Simulator Classes & Characters
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